LONDON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian finished fourth with horse Chicko in the five-star eventing competition held in Pau, France from October 24 to 27, achieving his best result at this level of competition.
"So proud of Chicko and delighted for his owners, Kate and Pete Willis," said Hua on Monday morning while waiting for his flight back to the U.K. at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport. "This was my first five-star Classic since Badminton 2016 with Pye, as well as Chicko's first time and by far my best result at this level, so a lot to be happy about."
Les 5 Etoiles de Pau is the only five-star event held in France and one of the seven annual five-star events in the world. 35-year-old Hua, riding Chicko, produced his best ever five-star result, finishing fourth after three British riders.
Caroline Harris took victory with D. Day while defending champion Rosalind Canter followed behind with Izilot DHI by a margin of 0.3 points.
"Although this is Chicko's first time at a five-star Classic, I knew Pau was famous for being a technical, tight and twisty cross country track, with dry ground, which suits his strong points. I was quietly confident that we could be competitive," said Hua.
"However, when it started to rain on Friday, and didn't stop, I was worried that Chicko would find the conditions too tough on Saturday for the cross country.
"A lot of horses did find the ground too wet and tiring but the more I asked from Chicko, the deeper he dug for me. He came home with the third fastest round of the day out of over 70 horses to lie in the fifth place."
Hua and Chicko continued their strong performance in the show jumping on Sunday, delivering a good clear to finish fourth overall.
"It's the end of my season. The horses will now have a holiday in the field and I will have a small shoulder operation that I have needed for a few years," said Hua.
"I'm so happy with my horses and my team's work and performance this year. The Olympics were incredible, especially in Versailles, and we so nearly had a big result. This keeps me focused and hungry for the future."
Hua said he would move onto qualification competitions for the 2026 World Championships as well as the Asian Games.
"I go into next year with an amazing team of horses and unbelievable support from the Chinese Equestrian Association, the Shanghai Equestrian Association, and from my wonderful owners and partners. I cannot wait to be back in the saddle," said Hua. ■