Looks like Mr. Hua (who goes by Alex) is unlikely to medal at the games …
Excerpt …
Just a few hours ago, however, Mr. Hua and his horse, Chico, were disqualified after falling while trying to clear a hurdle during the three-day event’s cross-country component.
Mr. Hua is ranked 21st in the world in eventing by the Federation Equestre Internationale, the world equestrian governing body. Eventing combines dressage — an event in which horse and rider are judged by their ability to perform a series of precise moves — with cross-country and show-jumping trials.
He hopes the sport’s profile can be raised enough to draw government support. “I see it as a huge opportunity for equestrian sports in China,” he said last week.
Mr. Hua, who speaks English and can understand and speak some Mandarin, holds a Chinese passport and says he feels like he has the “best of both sides.” “I’m very proud to ride for China,” he says, though he declines to answer some political questions. He says he “doesn’t see the full picture of what’s going on. I read things here and there.”
After Mr. Hua showed signs of promise as a 17-year-old rider, a Chinese property developer named Jiang Fengcan agreed to bankroll his training expenses, including purchasing six Olympic-ready horses-a total outlay of nearly $4 million.
Is that George Morris holding a popcorn box at the bottom? Their expressions are :lol: