Lahore, Pakistan, February 9, 2020: Lahore-born Usman Khan will be the first equestrian competitor from Pakistan to participate at the Olympics after he and his horse Azad Kashmir qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The Melbourne-based Usman will take part in eventing - a combination of cross-country, showjumping and dressage – that will test both the horse and rider in all aspects of horsemanship.
This is the first time that Pakistan will have a rider in equestrian at the Olympics. In the Athens 2004 Olympics, Pakistani rider Nadeem Noon won a place as a wild card entry but he missed out after his horse got injured.
Usman and Azad Kashmir took part in an event at Wallaby Hill last December and finished 13th which was enough to earn the Minimum Eligibility Requirements and achieve Tokyo 2020 qualification.
It was the culmination of a 15-year odyssey for Usman, the son of a retired Army major.
In 2006, Usman met the President of the Pakistan Olympic Association Lt. General (retd.) Arif Hasan in Melbourne and expressed his desire to represent Pakistan at the Olympics. Arif, in response, encouraged Usman and said he must do this for the country.
A few weeks ago, Usman informed President Arif that he had qualified for the Olympics.