HOHHOT, China, July 12 -- Chinese rider Gexigedalai won the gold medal Sunday in a barrel race, one of the sports items during an American-style International Equestrian Invitational in Baotou, a city of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The ethnic Mongolian rider from China's Inner Mongolia beat other competitors in the barrel racing with a time of 19.321 seconds.

"I felt excited to compete here in China and after all I was not the last one," said Herbert Preisach, the German rider who placed fourth with a time of 19.947 seconds.

A total of 19 riders from six countries including the Unite States, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Costa Rica and China competed in the race.

The American-style International Equestrian Invitational, approved by the American Quarter Horse Association, was being held during an international horse fair, which featured cultural aspects of indigenous nomadic Chinese in Inner Mongolia.