Showjumper Janakabhorn qualifies for Paris Olympics
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Showjumper Janakabhorn qualifies for Paris Olympics

Janakabhorn Karunayadhaj made history by becoming the first Thai to earn a slot in the Olympic Games individual show jumping competition in Paris later this year.

Janakabhorn finished on top of Group G (Asia/Oceania) in the Olympic rankings released by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) on Tuesday.

At the end of the individual qualification period on Dec 31, the Thai showjumper had a total of 334 points.

New Zealand's Uma O'Neill, who finished second in Group G with 225 points, also qualified for Paris 2024.

Prior to the World Cup in Saudi Arabia in December, Janakabhorn trailed O'Neill by 13 points but a fine performance in the tournament saw the Thai score over 100 points and helped her surpass the New Zealander.

Janakabhorn Karunayadhaj.

Janakabhorn missed out on a podium finish at the 19th Asian Games, settling for fourth place in Hangzhou, China, last year.

"I was under a lot of pressure last year trying to perform well to get that Olympic ticket. It was hard and I wasn't very happy with the results and for a while I told myself to just focus on the Asian Games," she said.

"After not focusing too much on qualifying for the Olympics, I performed better. I was more relaxed and after Saudi Arabia I was confident that I could get that Olympic spot and now I did."

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