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In leaps and bounds
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The state's gymnasts are steadily winging their way to the top
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THANKS TO some encouraging factors including the installation of high quality infrastructure prior to the 32nd National Games and the renewed interest and activity shown since then, the gymnastics scenario seems to have improved in the state. Several youngsters have done well in international and national meets and bagged medals in a sport which at one time was not very well developed in this state.
Road to success
During the 45th Junior National Gymnastics Championship, which was held at the Saroornagar Indoor Stadium last month, it was heartening to see the enthusiasm and determination that the young participants displayed. Considering that gymnastics is a very demanding sport, which needs months of hard practice on several types of apparatus, the prowess that some of them showed, was commendable.
But then gymnastics along with athletics is considered to be one of the basic sports - one, which enables a practitioner to enhance his or her physical skills and agility for playing just about any other sport at a better level. In that context its significance cannot be disregarded. This is a sport, which can do with more encouragement from official quarters and more exposure for its players. An extensive programme to take the sport to schoolchildren could pay rich dividends since the trend seen in recent times certainly are encouraging.
The youngsters who took part in the Junior National Meet showed a lot of perseverance. Clearly all the participants had put in a lot of hard work and their coaches and parents deserve credit for the level of motivation that these boys and girls displayed.
There were a few mistakes also, as some of them tried out difficult routines. Every error of judgement resulted in a bone-jarring fall. But the participants stuck it out courageously and usually continued with their exercises fighting back the pain and discomfort.
The host, Andhra Pradesh took the silver medal in the team championships in both the boys and girls categories. Andhra gymnasts have been showing steady improvement and going by recent results a few of them could make A.P. a significant force in the near future provided there is a systematic plan to push the standard in this sport to greater heights. Long term scientific coaching and more top quality competition could work wonders.
Among the young gymnasts from A.P. who have noteworthy potential are Satish Reddy, Chandrakanth Rao and Sridevi. In the Roman Rings, Satish Reddy defeated Rohit Jaiswal who was a silver medallist in the Asian Junior Championship held earlier in China. But then Rohit Jaiswal won the overall title as expected since this youngster from UP is regarded as one of the most talented gymnasts in the country now.
A.P. could do well to follow the trend set by West Bengal, which has established a reputation for producing a long line of champions in the girls and women's sections for several years and similarly Uttar Pradesh, which has dominated the boys and men's categories.
ABHIJIT SEN GUPTA
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