Concurs de Dressage Nationals: Samanna becomes youngest to win elementary category medal

CHENNAI: Samanna Everaa, the 17-year-old daughter of late MLA E Thirumahan Everaa and granddaughter of veteran Congress leader EVKS Elangovan MLA, made Tamil Nadu proud by scripting history by becoming the youngest gold medallist at the Concours de Dressage Nationals 2024 conducted by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) at the Surge Stable Centre in Bengaluru.

Samanna scored a Judge C percentage of 73.075, an E of 67.175, and an M of 71.95, achieving a total average of 70.73% in the elementary freestyle open category with her horse, Sechs Richtige. “My horse is coming back from an injury, and I didn’t want to put more pressure on him, which is why we opted for the elementary category. I’m really happy we managed to win,” Samanna told DT Next.

Despite competing in the elementary category, Samanna outperformed riders older than herself to finish atop the podium. “The win gives me much-needed momentum heading into the next few months, where I’ll be competing in multiple tournaments,” she added.

Earlier this year, Samanna won gold in the senior nationals in the medium category and will participate in the upcoming edition in January 2025 as the defending champion.

Samanna trains at the Chennai Equitation Centre under the guidance of Austrian Isabelle Hasleder. “I’d like to thank my coach; I’ve been training under her for the past three years, and she has helped me every step of the way. She was the one who helped me choose my horse,” she said.

After her return to Chennai, Samanna also met with the Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development in Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, who congratulated her on her achievement.

In recent times, Samanna has won multiple tournaments and is looking forward to the Asian Continental Championship in Thailand next year, as well as the Asian Games in Japan in 2026.