The Hindu : Sport : A magnificent comeback by Shobha

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A magnificent comeback by Shobha

Hyderabad: For someone who was dismissed as a spent force after a two-year hiatus (thanks to a ligament tear injury caused by a remarkable display of grit and determination during the 2004 Athens Olympics), heptathlete J. J. Shobha scripted what is arguably one of the finest comebacks in the domestic circuit.

This 30-year-old South Central Railway athlete achieved what many of her compatriots could only dream of — to qualify for the Olympics. The fact that this gangling athlete defied two years of mental agony and indifferent attitude from the people around her to return to centre-stage, speaks of her indefatigable spirit.

Demoralising phase

How difficult was that phase from 2004 to 2006 when she was almost out of big-time competitive circuit? “I shudder to think of that demoralising phase of my career. Everything looked bleak and I felt as if I was looking at life like a long tunnel of despair,” recalls Shobha in an exclusive chat with The Hindu after booking a slot for her second Olympic Games. “I owe a lot to my husband (Railways hockey player Ajay Bharathi) for the moral support he gave me. He kept telling me that it was not the end of the road,” she said.

“The one month training camp in Ukraine where coaches Sanjay Garnaik along with Yury focussed so much on me, changed my mindset and I started looking ahead,” Shobha explained.

“And the Madurai performance was one of the most memorable considering the way things went in the last four years. It was a great feeling when I came to know that I will be there in Beijing,” Shobha says.

Fast bowlers excel

Fast bowlers M. P. Arjun (six for 38) and Md. Faiz Ahmed (four for 43) helped India Cements bundle out Evergreen for 138 on the first day of the A-Division (three-day) league cricket championship match here on Friday. In reply, India Cements was 81 for two at close of play.

The scores: A-Division: Evergreen 138 (Moinuddin 41, M. P. Arjun six for 38, Md. Faiz Ahmed four for 43) vs. India Cements 81 for two (Gautham Reddy 49 batting).

Aisa, Nikhat in final

Aisa Afzal will clash with Nikhat Banu in the final of the youth girls category of the YMCA annual State open ranking table tennis tournament here. In the semifinals, Aisa defeated P. Manasa 12-10, 11-7, 13-11, 11-6 while Nikhat Banu got the better of K. Vidisha 11-8, 11-1, 11-3, 11-2.

Other results: Quarterfinals: Junior boys: Harsih Atul Shah bt Arkesh Rath 11-4, 11-9, 11-9, 11-4; Hanman Khan bt P. Siddarth 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-4, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7; V.S.S. Kaushik bt S. Jayesh 11-9, 11-8, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7; T. Saipraneeth bt A. Gowthamkrishna 8-11, 13-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6.

Men: Krishna Kirti bt K. Sreedhar 11-7, 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6; Jitender bt A. Umesh Kumar 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4; Karan Mutha bt Vignay Reddy 11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 7 -11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5.

Cadet girls: Akshi bt Varuni 11-4, 11-3, 11-1; Sk. Sairabhanu bt K.V. Vaishali 11-8, 11-6, 11-9; R. Harshitha bt K. Sirisha 12-10, 14-12, 7-11, 11-4; K. Spoorthy bt Mounica Reddy 11-9, 11-4, 11-8; S. Akshi bt Sailu Noor Basha 10-12, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6.

Sub-junior girls: K. Harshita bt Sk. Sairabhanu 12-10, 3-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9,11-7; S. Akshi bt K. Sirisha 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 3-11, 11-9,11-5; T.L. Harshita bt K. Spoorthy 11-5, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 6-11, 6-11, 11-6; M. Mrudhula bt M. Harshita 11-8, 12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3.

Olympic day run

The Andhra Pradesh Olympic Association (AAPOA) will organise the Olympic Day Run, sponsored by Lanco Group and co-sponsored by ITC, on June 23 to spread the message of Olympic Movement, Prof. P. Ranga Rao, Vice-President, APOA, said.

Briefing the media here on Friday, Rao said that about 50,000 people are expected to take part in the event to be conducted in coordination with the various departments of the State Government and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.

“We have sent letters of appeal to all the educational institutions to send students in large numbers to make the event a big success. We are also in touch with all the internationals from the City to ensure their presence for the show,” he said.

The Run will commence at 6 a.m. from different centres like Bowenpally, Charminar, Victory Playground, YMCA (Narayanaguda), Mahatma Gandhi Statue (Secunderabad), Moosarambagh and Mehdipatnam and converge at the Lal Bahadur Stadium.

On qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, the organisers have decided to felicitate Olympian and heptathlete J.J. Shobha on the occasion along with the State athletes who won medals in the recently held Madurai Nationals.

L. Venkatram Reddy, Secretary, APOA, said the APOA website would also be launched on the same day.

Karate tournament

Hyderabad will host the first inter-Continental Asia Wuko karate championship for the Welfare Cup at the Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy Indoor Stadium (Yousufguda), here from November 27 to 30.

A brochure in this connection was released by Prof. P. Ranga Rao, Vice-President, APOA, and L. Venkatram Reddy, Secretary, APOA.

About 50 countries would take part in the event for which the arrangements would be reviewed by a high-level delegation headed by Wuko President, Osvaldo Messias de Oliveira, General Secretary, Dr. Liviu Crisan, and Chief Referee, Henrique Laranjo Silva, very soon.

The event will be sponsored by the Welfare Group of Companies, Lions Clubs International District, HUDA and GHMC.

Entries close by November 10. For details, call 040-23733127 or email raoaibkf@gmail.com.

Handball tournament

The Hyderabad District Handball Association will organise a one-day tournament in connection with the World Handball Day on June 23 at the Lal Bahadur Stadium from 7 a.m.

Interested clubs, colleges and schools may contact coach Ravi Kumar at the venue for details.

Referees exam

The All-India kabaddi referees examination will be organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India here on June 29 at the Government Junior College (Kachiguda) from 11 a.m.

For details, contact K. Jagdishwar Yadav, Secretary, HKA, ph: 9246587433.

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