“I’m Completely Shattered”: 20-Year-Old Equestrian Prodigy Opens Up After Announcing Early Retirement

In the industry of sports, it is very common to have issues with the federation. Either for unjust, event issues, or personal matters, many athletes face complications with different federations. A recent instance came into highlight when a 20-year-old equestrian rider from India announced his retirement after being fed up with the federation. He was the youngest rider to qualify for the Asian Games in equestrian, but his dreams are shattered now.

The athlete is heartbroken after announcing his retirement from what he loves to do. He bet it all to pursue his dream sports, but despite his hardest efforts, he could not get where he wanted to be. Not just him, but the whole equestrian arena is heartbroken. But what happened to him?

The 20-year-old equestrian and his broken-hearted story

Chirag Khandal is one of the best young equestrian riders. But sadly, he announced his retirement when most of the athletes rose to success. He accused the Equestrian Federation Of India (EFI) of “apathy and vindictiveness” while announcing his retirement on 31st August. His decision was obliged by his exclusion from the Asian Games list despite acquiring the Minimum Eligibility Requirement to perform at the Hangzhou Games. According to The Hindustan Times, he took the matter to the Supreme Court on May 19, which directed the federation to include Chirag’s name.

However, a day later the horse Veni Vedi Vici, on which he trained, was leased out by Rodolphe Scherer to another equestrian rider, Ashish Malik. Heartbroken, Chirag expressed his grief and said, “I’m completely shattered. It’s with a very heavy heart that I’ve decided to quit the sport I so dearly loved.” This decision of Scherer brought up nothing but disappointment to Chirag’s family, which he revealed.

The depressing condition of Chirag Khandal’s family

The equestrian revealed that Scherer charged them 3125 euros per month when they did not have a very strong financial status. Chirag’s father, Sandeep, revealed that he spent over $2,41000 in 19 months to perform in Asian games. He hoped that his equestrian performance would bring him decent sponsorship, so the family sold off all their assets to help their son pursue his dream. The athlete stated, “I’ve exhausted my family’s savings and I’ve realized there’s no future for me here. I squarely blame an apathetic and vindictive EFI for this.” The family even lost their home and will be relocating to their native Jaipur, where he will pursue a degree from St. Xavier’s College.

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Sandeep Khandal, Chirag’s father, said they will be looking for rented accommodation since they no longer have a house to live in. He also revealed that there was an audio clip released where the EFI’s vice president, Harish Khokar, could be heard using filth language against Chirag. The athlete did file a complaint against him, but Khokar said that taking retirement was Khandal’s personal choice. Khokar rather said it can be an issue between the rider and the coach. The Federation has no hand in what happens to the equestrian. This is truly saddening to see a shining star drowning after putting its foremost efforts to shine.

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