Alex Hua Tian
| Alex Hua Tian | |
|---|---|
 Alex Hua Tian and ESB Irish Fiddle at the Trout Hatchery during the cross-country phase of Burghley Horse Trials 2010. | |
| Personal information | |
| Nationality |  China |
| Discipline | Eventing |
| Born | 25 October 1989 London |
Alex Hua Tian (simplified Chinese: 华天; traditional Chinese: 華天; pinyin: Huà Tiān; Jyutping: Waa4 Tin1; born 25 October 1989)[1] is an equestrian sportsman who competes in eventing for China.
Early life
[edit]Hua Tian was born in London to a Chinese father and a British mother.[2] He has a brother, called Jamie Hua Ming. The family lived in Beijing, before moving to Hong Kong. Hua started riding aged four. His family moved to Wiltshire when he was 11, where Hua attended Chafyn Grove School followed by Eton College.
Career
[edit]Hua was the only Chinese event rider competing internationally between 2006 and 2016[2] and the first Chinese to be registered with International Federation for Equestrian Sports.[3] He took a year out of his studies at Eton to prepare for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.[4] He qualified four horses between October 2007 and May 2008. Although as a host nation competitor he only needed to achieve a minimum standard, he qualified in his own right through the rankings as the youngest ever Olympic event rider. In mid-2008 he achieved a ranking of 21st in the world. The equestrian industry in China has grown since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to be the 3rd largest leisure pursuit among the elite in China.[5]
He was coached by the former world champion Clayton Fredericks and his wife Lucinda Fredericks, who won the Burghley Horse Trials 2006 and Badminton Horse Trials 2007, at their base in Wiltshire, and by Jane Gregory, British Olympic Dressage Team 1996 and 2008.
Having returned to Eton to complete his studies, Hua won a place at Bristol University to study Aerotechnology Engineering, which he postponed for three years to concentrate on working toward competing in London 2012. At the 2009, Blenheim International Horse Trials, Hua won the Best under-25 Prize and qualified for the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, September 2010. In November 2009, he won the inaugural HSBC Rising Star Award, presented to him in Copenhagen by Princess Haya, President of the International Equestrian Federation at the 'Oscars of Equestrian Sport'.
In 2014, Hua won a silver medal at the Incheon Asian Games riding Temujin, owned by Edwina Qu Ye.
Hua qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio with horses Harbour Pilot C and Don Geniro.[6] He placed 8th with Don Geniro.
In 2018 he won a bronze medal at the Jakarta Asian Games riding PSH Convivial.
In 2019 he was a member of the first Chinese eventing team to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In 2023, Hua's horse Chicko was found to have altrenogest in his system after a controlled drug test. An independent investigation found the horse's ingestion of the substance to be accidental, however, the positive test cost China their team spot at the 2024 Summer Olympic games in Paris.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Chinese riders feeling the heat
- ^ a b Williams, Ollie (23 August 2014). "World Equestrian Games: China's 'one in a billion' rider Hua Tian". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Eton schoolboy rides for China". Reuters. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ^ Pomfret, James (11 November 2008). "Eton schoolboy's bid has melancholy end". Reuters. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ "Alex Hua Tian | Vision Magazine". Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ^ "Alex Hua Tian, Chinese event rider". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ Berendt, Tilly. "China Loses Olympic Place; Japan Qualifies for Paris After Positive Drug Test - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary". eventingnation.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
Further reading
[edit] | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (November 2017) |
- Eton schoolboy holds Chinese Olympic dream Sunday Telegraph, 10 September 2007
- Alex Hua Tian saddled with hopes of the host nation at Olympic Games[dead link] Matthew Pinsent, The Times, 2 August 2008
- Olympics Equestrian Hopes dashed, Hua Tian plots for London Reuters, 12 August 2008
- China's medal hopes rest on youngster Universal Sports (Reuters), 30 July 2008
- China's Olympic equestrian team to be led by Eton schoolboy.[permanent dead link] Reuters TV report, 30 July 2008
- Alex Hua Tian from China rides Chico USA Today, 9 August 2008
- Beijing 2008 Olympic Profile
External links
[edit] | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (November 2017) |
- Official website
- Alex Hua Tian (and here) at FEI
- Hua Tian at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Alex Hua Tian saddles up for date with destiny China Daily, 3 March 2008
- Alex Hua Tian CCTV5 short documentary
- Eton schoolboy gallops toward Beijing Games China Daily, 22 August 2007
- Team China 2008 Press Photos Photo Collection
- China's Olympic riding hope is Eton schoolboy The Observer, 4 May 2008
- A Horse of a Different Colour Wall Street Journal, 11 August 2008
- 1989 births
- Living people
- Chinese male equestrians
- Chinese dressage riders
- Chinese people of English descent
- Event riders
- People educated at Eton College
- People educated at Chafyn Grove School
- Equestrians at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic equestrians for China
- English people of Chinese descent
- English male equestrians
- Sportspeople from London
- Equestrians at the 2014 Asian Games
- Equestrians at the 2018 Asian Games
- Asian Games silver medalists for China
- Asian Games bronze medalists for China
- Asian Games medalists in equestrian
- Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games
- Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
- Doping cases in equestrian sports
- 21st-century English sportsmen