Woraphat Sittiju (THA) and B. Grimm Uster de Chenay. Photo by FEI/Yusuke Nakanishi Photography.
Thailand completed a remarkable rise from third place to team gold at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on Wednesday, while China’s Alex Hua Tian successfully defended his individual title with Manjushri.
Cross-country was moved to be the final phase of competition, going away from the traditional three-day format to account for weather considerations due to Typhoon Dujuan. Third after Tuesday’s show jumping and 12.6 penalties behind overnight leaders Japan, Thailand produced three faultless counting cross-country rounds when it mattered most. Woraphat Sittiju and Uster de Chanay, Korntawat Samran and Billy Elmy, and Weerapat Pitakanonda and Carnival March all completed the 3,640-metre cross-country course in Tokyo without adding a single penalty.
Their team score remained unchanged at 109.9, enough to secure gold before Japan’s final combination had even left the start box.
Thailand, Japan and the Republic of Korea on the team podium at Baji Koen. Photo by FEI/Yusuke Nakanishi Photography.
The result marks the latest step in a long period of progress for Thai Eventing. Thailand took Asian Games team bronze in Jakarta in 2018 and again in Hangzhou (CHN) in 2023, while also winning the inaugural FEI Asian Championships on home soil in Pattaya in 2019. Last year they repeated that Asian Championships team victory, again in Pattaya.
Two athletes have been central to much of that journey. Samran was part of the 2019 and 2025 Asian Championships-winning teams and took individual silver at the 2023 Asian Games, while Pitakanonda was alongside him for both Asian Championships victories as well as the Asian Games bronze in Hangzhou. Supap Khaw-Ngam and Vinetto 3 completed Thailand’s gold-medal-winning quartet at Tokyo Equestrian Park.
Team Thailand (L to R): Supap Khaw-Ngam, Weerapat Pitakanonda, Korntawat Samran, and Woraphat Sittiju. Worapat Sittiju (THA) and B. Grimm Uster de Chenay. Photo by FEI/Yusuke Nakanishi Photography.
“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.”
Japan had led the team competition after both dressage and jumping, but Ryo Murata and Brookpark Vikenti dropped from third individually after adding 20 jumping penalties and 10.8 time penalties on cross-country. They were far from alone in finding trouble on the course, with five combinations eliminated and two retiring during the final phase. Japan eventually finished on 115.2 to take silver, 5.3 penalties behind Thailand.
The Republic of Korea claimed bronze on 143.5, just 1.2 penalties ahead of Hong Kong, China.
Defending team champions China left Tokyo without a team result after Yuying Shu and Diabolo D’Ems AA were eliminated on cross-country. With only three combinations in the team, China had no discard score.
Of the 31 combinations that started cross-country, 17 completed without jumping penalties, but only seven finished without adding any penalties at all, underlining the influence of the seven-minute optimum time.
Alex Hua Tian (CHN) and Manjushri. Photo by FEI/Yusuke Nakanishi Photography.
There was no such movement at the top of the individual standings.
Hua Tian and nine-year-old Manjushri had led since scoring 26.9 penalties in dressage. After adding nothing in jumping, they completed cross-country in 6:49, 11 seconds inside the optimum time, to finish the entire competition on their dressage score. The victory gave Hua Tian a second consecutive individual Asian Games title after his 2023 success in Hangzhou with Poseidons Admiral.
“I’m just very relieved, mainly,” said Hua Tian, who competed Manjushri at the FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya last year, finishing fourth individually. “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.”
Yoshiaki Oiwa (JPN) and Ottawa des Desig. Photo by FEI/Yusuke Nakanishi Photography.
Sittiju and Uster de Chanay also finished on their dressage score of 30.1 to secure individual silver, completing a memorable championship for Thailand. Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa and Ottawa des Desig added just 0.4 time penalties on cross-country to take bronze on 31.7.
The eventing competition in Tokyo ultimately delivered two very different stories, with Hua Tian successfully defending the individual title he won three years ago and Thailand adding a first Asian Games team gold to a run of major championship results stretching back to 2018. With Sittiju also taking individual silver, Thailand leave Tokyo with their strongest Asian Games Eventing result to date.
