Nagaland’s Kekhriesilie Rio wins Grand Prix in France

India’s Kekhriesilie Rio has secured a major achievement by winning a Grand Prix class in a show jumping competition held at Haras de Liverdy in France.

Riding his horse Presley OL, Rio delivered a calm and controlled round to finish at the top of the leaderboard.

The news was shared on social media by Abu Metha, Vice-President of the Athletics Federation of India. He praised the performance and said it reflects how young talent is reaching new heights. He also congratulated Rio and encouraged him to continue performing well.

Kekhriesilie Rio, who hails from Nagaland, has represented the country in several national and international competitions. 

He secured third place in the Junior National Equestrian Championship (Endurance) in Dibrugarh in 2014–15. In 2018, he won the Junior National Equestrian Championship (Show Jumping) in Kolkata, becoming national champion.

In 2020, he competed in the FEI World Show Jumping Challenge in Bengaluru, where he was ranked second globally and first in Asia.

In 2021, he participated in the National Equestrian Championship (Senior) in Delhi and secured a podium finish in Puissance jumping. He also finished second in the Asian Equestrian Federation Junior/Young Jumping Challenge in 2019.

This win in France adds another milestone to his career.