Alex Hua Tian – China’s Olympic Eventing Prospect
By the time he is 18, Alex plans to have accomplished more than many would dream of in a lifetime.
He aims to represent his country, China, at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and in so doing will not only be one of the youngest riders ever to compete in an Olympic Games but also will be the first person of Chinese nationality to do so.
It will be a fitting tribute to Beijing, the city where his riding career began just a decade ago.
Like many small boys Alex was put on a pony but, unlike most, his passion for riding kept him in the saddle.
A chance connection through his English mother then enabled a 10 year-old Alex to visit Rosegarth in Wiltshire, England, home to leading international event riders, Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks.
With his legs barely reaching beyond the saddle flaps Alex showed such a natural flair that he was able to ride the horses that would later go on to win a medal at World Championship level and be victorious at the prestigious Burghley Horse Trials.
Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks felt they had a star in their stable and were delighted to offer a home to Alex’s horse, an ex-racehorse from Hong Kong, and introduce him to competitive eventing.
Nowhere in the World is competition as fierce as in England – a myriad of international riders choosing the country as their base and so Alex has always had to hold his own against the big guns.
Cool, calm and collected Alex quickly caught the attention of fellow riders, trainers and selectors and as part of his pony club team won the National show jumping championships in 2005 and was invited to join a regional team for the under-18 three-day-eventing championships later that year where he finished 11th individually.
2006 saw the beginning of a new partnership for Alex. Having achieved great success with his former racehorse, Chance Bid (nicknamed ”Monkey King” after the famous Chinese hero), he has proved his versatility as he has partnered Koyuna Sun-Glo alongside him.
A former winner of a four-star event – the highest level of competition in eventing – Koyuna Sun-Glo could certainly offer Alex the benefit of his experience, but being an aged, laid-back, campaigner he’s also taught Alex the art of horsemastership – learning when to kick him home or let him up due to the associated troubles of injury and fitness as befits an older horse.
Alex’s results on the horse, and his continued campaign with Chance Bid, have included placings in national and international two-star competitions thus putting him on track to move up to three-star level next year and thereby ensure his place at the 2008 Olympic Games.
All that stands in his way is having a horse of equal caliber to contest in these competitions but it is hoped that his profile could help change all that.
Alex has coped with film crews watching his every move as China Central Television , (the sports channel with the largest audience in the world) continues to make a documentary on him and is unfazed by the growing number of fans that flock to him.
His presence on the eventing scene at first seemed to have novelty value, but his performances show he’s worth more than that.
It is unsurprising then, that he has already found a way into the hearts of the international press – a great sporting ambassador he’s charming and polite and yet has the ability to set the competition alight.
Luck puts Alex in a position to be able to prove this in the greatest contest of all time, so let us join Alex under the flames of the Olympic torch to inspire not just a nation but, a generation.