India clinch double podium, Iran tops AEF Cup standings

Indian riders Surya Aditya and Avik Bhatia secured the silver and bronze medals respectively while Iran's Yazdan Mollaafzal took the top spot at the AEF Cup CSIY-B held at Surge Stable here Sunday. Surya, who had earlier secured the silver medal in Round 1 on Saturday, maintained his strong form to claim the overall silver in the competition.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Avik made an outstanding comeback after finishing eighth in Round 1 by grabbing silver in Round 2.

His impressive performance in Round 2 helped him secure the bronze in the overall standings.




Avik completed a clean jumping run in 86.43 seconds, which was faster than Iran's Yazdan Mollaafzal, but penalties incurred for touching obstacles during the jump-off affected his final placement.

On Day 2, Avik initially led the jumping event, but it was Yazdan Mollaafzal who ultimately claimed the gold medal with a flawless, penalty-free performance in the jump-off, clocking in at 60.32 seconds.

Cambodian rider Menglong Rinda completed the podium in Round 2, finishing the course in 79.58 seconds with 4 penalty points.

Out of the 12 riders who began the competition, 11 participated in Round 2, as Kuwait's Madhy A A H Alkhamis withdrew from the event. Riders from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Chinese Taipei-Muhammad Khan Niazi, Taisiya Lokteva, and Asato Amami-were eliminated over the two days for not completing their respective rounds.

Hong Kong's Fabiola Chong and Thailand's Papungkorn Pabbamnam placed fifth and sixth, respectively, with Myanmar's Kyaw Wana Aung and Malaysia's Muhammad Nazirul Amsyar following closely behind in the overall rankings.