Mikaela showcases her skills

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 18. Mikaela Jaworsji, a well-known rider and actress from the Philippines, finally found the right stage to perform. In a close finish, she showcased her riding skills and came through stronger in a jump-off to break a three-way tie on way to the Indian Oil International show jumping title here on Sunday.

Watched by a few discerning enthusiasts of equestrian sport at the Nicholson Ranges, Mikaela incurred just four penalty points while guiding Latif over an six-obstacle course in the jump-off. This was also Mikaela's maiden title-victory on a `borrowed' horse..

Uzbek Ibragim Yuldashev and Iranian Ali Reza Famil, too, had a two-round tally of eight but failed to match Mikaela in the jump- off. Ibragim collected 12 penalty points after Famil was eliminated after two refusals.

Before Mikaela took the top spot, the fourth and fifth places were occupied by two ladies. Great Britain's Caroline Cork on Rajrani and Hong Kong's Jennifer Lee on Not Out registered 11 and 12 penalty points, respectively, to ensure that men did not enjoy a majority in the prize-list of six..

Even as India's riders gradually found themselves pushed out of the top-six list, they could only watch Mikaela spearhead the rampage of the overseas riders.

A member of the Philippines squad in the last two Asian Games and a finalist of the Volvo World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Mikaela had warmed up for the individual rounds with encouraging results in Saturday's team event. Though she had just one penalty `drop' (worth four points) in the first round and a clear round on Saturday afternoon, her efforts came to naught once her compatriots were eliminated. But today was another day..

Mikaela went wrong just once in each round in 24 jumping efforts. Her score was matched by Famil and Yuldashev as well and this led to the jump-off. In fact, this trio had proved the most consistent in four rounds of jumping over the last two days and the jump-off proved a fitting finale to an otherwise listless competition.

Famil was the first to take off. Astride Night Warrior, Famil dropped the third and fourth obstacles before facing refusals at the first element of the double combination and the sixth hurdle. Mikaela, too, erred on the third before Latif gracefully carried her over the rest of the fences. That left Yuldashev needing a clear round to pip Mikaela. But the suspense did not last long.

Yuldashev encountered a refusal on the second obstacle and dropped the third. At this stage the contest stood decided. The Uzbek cleared the remaining three hurdles with ease to claim the second spot, leaving Mikaela with a triumphant feeling.

``I am so excited,'' said a visibly-overjoyed Mikaela soon after receiving her prize and continued, ``this title will always be special because it is my first one in any competition held on borrowed horses.''

Commenting on the quality of opposition and the mounts here, Mikaela, with 16 years of riding behind her, said, ``the competition was a tough one. The horses here are good but very fast. It seems they are set on the `fast-forward' mode. India has a lot more horses than we have in our country but I guess, you have to work much harder to get the best results out of what you have.''

If the day was a memorable one for Mikaela, it proved a rather forgettable one for the Indians on view. Though nine out of 17 riders in the second round were Indians, the best among them could only finish a distant seventh.

D.N. Yadav, astride Rustam, was the highest-placed home rider with 16 penalty points. Though Yadav tied for the sixth place with Iskhander Yuldashev, the Uzbek just about made the prize- bracket since he had taken less time (86.65 seconds to Yadav's 92.83) to complete the afternoon round.

Major Sandeep Dewan, on Miss India, ruined his chances in the morning after incurring 18 penalties including 10 on time. He got a better result from the tiring mare when he came up with a clear round but could not escape a two-point penalty for overshooting the time limit. Dewan finished seventh with an overall tally of 20 points.

For the record, S.S. Ahlawat (24 points), Varun Sharma (25), Hong Kong's Pedja Marjanovic (28), Bhoom Singh (32), Pushpinder Singh (35), Hong Kong's Bee Chan (39), Prabal Pratap Singh (45) and Nitin Gupta (55) were placed from ninth to 16th, in that order. J. P. Masih, in the joint fourth place with eight penalty points after the first round, was the lone rider to be eliminated.

Among the Indians, Indian Military Academy's Equitation Officer Prabal Pratap Singh came up with a determined effort which was not duly reflected in his score. Astride 15-year-old Rani, the oldest mount in the competition, Prabal had to use all his riding skills to keep this stubborn mare in control. However, in doing so, he consumed precious time. Though Prabal dropped just one hurdle in the morning and two in the afternoon, the time- penalties (16 and 17 for the two sessions) wrecked his chances.

The results (individual event): 1. Mikaela Jaworsji (Phi) on Latif0 8 penalty points (4 in jump-off); 2. Ibragim Yuldashev (Uzb) on Mastana0 8 (12 in jump-off); 3. Ali Reza Famil (Iran) Night Warrior0 8 (eliminated in jump-off).

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Punjab, Mumbai enter semifinals
Next     : Vaidehi downs Tan Pei Qi