AN Eton schoolboy will carry the hopes of 1.3 billion people this summer as he makes history in the Olympic Games.

Alex Hua Tian, 18, has swapped the studious surroundings of Windsor to become the first Chinese three-day eventer to compete at the pinnacle of world sport.

The teenager, who lives in Horsham, West Sussex, has captured the imagination of China and he can expect star treatment in his father’s home country when he takes to the arena this summer.

After becoming the first Chinese rider registered by the International Equestrian Federation, Alex was allowed to take a year off studying to concentrate on his riding.

Last week, at a competition in Bialy Bor, in Poland, he achieved the Olympic qualifying standard and booked his place in the Chinese team.

Alex’s mother, Sarah Noble, 50, is English. He was born in Britain but is a registered Chinese national because of the origin of his father, Hua Shan.

Hua said his son began riding aged four, when the family lived in Hong Kong, and became such an accomplished horseman that he persuaded two of the world’s leading eventers, Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks, to train him when he returned to Britain at the age of 10.

Alex will return to Hong Kong, where the Olympic eventing final, consisting of dressage, showjumping and cross-country, will be held. Among those he will be competing against on his horse, Chance Bid, will be the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips.

CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, predicts a world record audience for the competitor labelled “one in 1.3 billion” — the latter being the size of the country’s population.

Although equestrianism is a minority sport in China, press reports there have described Alex as a “force to be reckoned with” and claim he has the potential to be a “massive star”.

Hua, 50, a property developer, said: “His mother called me from Poland and she was so excited she couldn’t speak a complete sentence, and cried. We all had great confidence in him but when it suddenly happens, it’s amazing, unbelievable.”

Hua said Alex was calm after qualification and that he would not raise his son’s hopes by predicting a gold medal for the teenager.

“I have no doubt that Alex has the ability and will give his best performance,” he said. I won’t say he has a chance of winning because in the equestrian world nobody would say that. It all depends on the horse.”

As well as supportive parents, Alex has benefited from £1.88m in sponsorship from Jiang Fengcan, a Chinese businessman.

Fengcan said he always believed Alex would “make history at the Olympics” and funded a support team, including four seasoned grooms, a physiotherapist, a physical trainer and a veterinarian.

Clayton Fredericks said: “He is very determined, a very capable rider, and has got some good horses.”

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