Alex Hua Tian
Encyclopedia
- Family name is Hua; Alex's father's name is "Hua Shan".
Alex Hua Tian ' onMouseout='HidePop("38862")' href="/topics/London">London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) is an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
sportsman for China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
He was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to a Chinese father and a British mother, and has a brother, called Jamie Hua Ming. Alex started riding aged four while living in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and later Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. His family moved to Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
when he was 11 where Alex went to Chafyn Grove School followed by Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
He is the only Chinese event rider competing internationally. Alex took a year out of his studies at Eton to prepare for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He qualified four horses between October 2007 and May 2008. Although as a host nation competitor he only needed to achieve a minimum standard, he qualified in his own right through the rankings as the youngest ever Olympic event rider. In mid-2008 he achieved a ranking of 21st in the world.
He was coached by the former world champion Clayton Fredericks
Clayton Fredericks
Clayton Fredericks is an Australian equestrian who won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as part of the three-day eventing team. He lives in England with his wife Lucinda Fredericks who was part of the same silver-medal winning team.Fredericks attended school at Wesley College,...
and his wife Lucinda Fredericks
Lucinda Fredericks
Lucinda Fredericks is a champion equestrian sportswoman competing at the highest levels of equestrian eventing. She changed her nationality upon her marriage to Australian equestrian Clayton Fredericks, and now rides for Australia...
, who won the Burghley Horse Trials 2006 and Badminton Horse Trials 2007, at their base in Wiltshire, and by Jane Gregory
Jane Gregory
Jane Gregory , was an international equestrian. She first rode for her country in 1994, competing in the World Equestrian Games of that year, and competed for Great Britain in Dressage at the Atlanta and Beijing Olympic Games.-Early life :Born in Bromley, Kent, Gregory came from a non-equestrian...
, British Olympic Dressage Team 1996 and 2008.
Having returned to Eton to complete his studies, Alex won a place at Bristol University to study Aerotechnology Engineering, which he postponed for three years to concentrate on working toward competing in London 2012. At Blenheim International Horse Trials 2009 Alex won the Best under-25 Prize and qualified for the World Equestrian Games
World Equestrian Games
The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale . The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive Summer Olympic Games, since 1990...
in Lexington, September 2010. In November 2009, Alex won the inaugural HSBC Rising Star Award, presented to him in Copenhagen by Princess Haya, President of the International Equestrian Federation at the 'Oscars of Equestrian Sport'.
See also
Website: http://www.alexhuatian.co.ukBlog: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/alexhuatian
Interview with China's Central Television (in English): http://sports.cntv.cn/20100318/104424.shtml
- China at the 2008 Summer OlympicsChina at the 2008 Summer OlympicsChina was the host nation of the 2008 Summer Olympics.China was represented by the Chinese Olympic Committee , and the team of selected athletes were officially known as Team China....
External links
- Alex Hua Tian saddles up for date with destiny China Daily, March 3, 2008
- Alex Hua Tian - Team Fredericks
- Alex Hua Tian CCTV5 short documentary
- Eton schoolboy gallops toward Beijing Games China Daily, Aug 22 2007
- Team China 2008 Press Photos Photo Collection
- China's Olympic riding hope is Eton schoolboy The Observer, May 4, 2008
- A Horse of a Different Colour Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2008