Thailand Claim Historic Asian Games Eventing Gold as Alex Hua Tian Defends Individual Title
Thailand produced three faultless counting cross-country rounds to claim a first Asian Games Eventing team gold at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, while China’s Alex Hua Tian and Manjushri completed a start-to-finish victory in the individual competition.
Thailand claimed a first Asian Games Eventing team gold on Wednesday after a superb cross-country performance saw them overhaul overnight leaders Japan at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Sitting third after Tuesday’s jumping phase and 12.6 penalties adrift of Japan, the Thai team delivered when it mattered at Tokyo Equestrian Park.
Woraphat Sittiju and Uster de Chanay, Korntawat Samran and Billy Elmy, and Weerapat Pitakanonda with Carnival March all completed the 3,640-metre cross-country course without adding a single penalty to their scores.
Thailand therefore remained on 109.9 penalties, securing the team title ahead of Japan on 115.2 and the Republic of Korea on 143.5.
Supap Khaw-Ngam and Vinetto 3 completed the gold medal-winning Thai quartet.
The victory continues a significant period of success for Thai Eventing. The nation won Asian Games team bronze in Jakarta in 2018 and again in Hangzhou in 2023, alongside victories at the FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya in 2019 and 2025.
For Pitakanonda, the result was particularly significant. Carnival March has been his partner for eight years and the pair previously competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“We kept training and never stopped improving ourselves,” said Pitakanonda. “We had about three years to keep improving, to try to fix what we lacked and to make it better this time.
“I also have to thank the horses, the best part of the sport. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to get this medal. Especially my horse, Carnival March.
“He’s been with me for eight years, and I also rode him at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This is a very special moment for me, to come back to this venue and win the gold medal.”
Cross-country changes the team standings
Japan had led the competition following both dressage and jumping, but the final cross-country phase reshaped the team standings.
Ryo Murata and Brookpark Vikenti, who had been third individually, added 20 jumping penalties and 10.8 time penalties.
They were not the only combination to find the course influential. Five combinations were eliminated and another two retired, while just seven of the 31 cross-country starters completed without adding penalties.
Japan nevertheless held on to silver, finishing 5.3 penalties behind Thailand.
The Republic of Korea secured bronze on 143.5, narrowly holding off Hong Kong, China, by 1.2 penalties.
Defending team champions China failed to record a team result after Yuying Shu and Diabolo D’Ems AA were eliminated on cross-country. China had started with three combinations, leaving no discard score available.
Alex Hua Tian successfully defends Asian Games title
While the team competition changed dramatically on the final day, there was no dislodging Alex Hua Tian from the top of the individual standings.
The Chinese rider had led from the opening dressage phase with nine-year-old Manjushri after scoring 26.9 penalties.
A fault-free jumping round kept the combination in front before they tackled Wednesday’s cross-country.
Hua Tian and Manjushri crossed the finish in 6:49, 11 seconds inside the seven-minute optimum time, meaning they completed the entire competition on their dressage score of 26.9.
The result gives Hua Tian back-to-back Asian Games individual Eventing titles, following his victory with Poseidons Admiral at Hangzhou 2023.
“I’m just very relieved, mainly,” said Hua Tian.
“Obviously, there’s some pressure coming into a championships, defending a gold medal, but also bringing such a good horse like Manjushri.
“My main feeling was I just didn’t want to let him or his owners down. They’re such amazing supporters. I’ve had a good year, now I can just relax and be happy.”
Individual silver for Thailand
Thailand’s championship was further strengthened by Woraphat Sittiju and Uster de Chanay, who also completed the competition on their dressage score.
Their 30.1 penalties secured individual silver behind Hua Tian.
Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa and Ottawa des Desig added only 0.4 time penalties across country to finish on 31.7 and take individual bronze.
It brought the Asian Games Eventing competition to a close with two significant achievements: a successful title defence for Hua Tian and a breakthrough team victory for Thailand after years of progress on the Asian championship stage.
Hua Tian leads dressage as Asian Games eventing begins in Tokyo
Defending individual champion Alex Hua Tian and Manjushri head the field after dressage at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, with the equestrian competition being staged in Tokyo.
The pair posted 26.9 penalties, 2.8 clear of Thailand’s Korntawat Samran and Billy Elmy on 29.7. Japan’s Toshiyuki Tanaka and Talma D’Allou sit third on 29.9, with just 3.5 penalties covering the top five, meaning Hua Tian’s advantage stands at less than one showjumping rail.
Manjushri, the nine-year-old gelding Hua Tian is riding in Tokyo, finished fourth at last year’s FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya and won the CCI3*-S at Alnwick in July on his dressage score, form that underlines why China’s title defence opens with him at the top.
“I’ve brought a very competitive horse,” Hua Tian said. “He’s only nine years old, but he’s already competing at four-star level and he’s always been very reliable. I’m here to win an individual medal. Whether it’s gold, silver or bronze depends on what happens, but I hope we do a good job.”
Japan placed all four of its eventing combinations inside the top eight on home soil: Tanaka third, Ryo Murata and Brookpark Vikenti fifth on 30.4, Yoshiaki Oiwa and Ottawa des Desig seventh on 31.3, and Kazuma Tomoto and Fer de Lance eighth on 31.6. The host nation leads the team standings on 91.6, 3.5 ahead of Thailand on 95.1. Hong Kong, China sit third on 97.0, while defending team champion China are fourth on 103.7 after the withdrawal of Huadong Sun and Cadorico left the squad without a discard score.
Typhoon Dujuan had other ideas about how the week would unfold, sweeping heavy rain and strong winds through the region in the build-up and forcing organisers to rework the schedule so ground staff could get the cross-country course back into shape. The storm had blown itself out by Tuesday morning, and competitors arrived at the Equestrian Park to find bright sunshine and rising heat in its place, a complete reversal from the conditions that had caused the disruption in the first place.
That disruption has reshaped the week ahead. Showjumping follows dressage later on Tuesday, but cross-country has been pushed back to Wednesday, flipping the usual championship order so that it now decides the medals rather than concluding the competition. The task falls to Polish course designer Marcin Konarski, whose 3,640m track carries 24 obstacles and 30 jumping efforts, with an optimum time of seven minutes.
“I think Marcin has done an excellent and very interesting job. The time and technicality are going to be influential, and I think the ground could be very influential,” Hua Tian said. “All of those things coming together will put a lot of pressure on the Athletes, especially the ones who want to win. I think it’s an open competition and it will be interesting and exciting all the way to the end.
Feature image: Gold medallists Thailand on the podium during the Eventing team medal ceremony of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. © FEI / Yusuke Nakanishi Photography