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Paddling to a success story

Prasanth Thomas creates waves with his oars

HIGH TIDE Prasanth Thomas is set to scale great heights

When Prasanth Thomas was selected to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Hostel at Alappuzha in 1997, he hadn't a clue of what the future held in store for him. Coaches there decided he was cut out for kayaking and they had hit the nail on the head. There he was, plonked into the craft that would ferry him to fame and fortune.

While others went through nail-biting tension, Prasanth paddled his way to three golds in his very first outing at the National level. He clinched first place in the 200 metres race of K-1 and was in the quartet that claimed the laurels in the 200 and 400 metres as well in the 1998 Bhopal event in the sub-junior category.

The rigours of the sport took its toll on his studies, shutting the door on it after his matriculation exams. His family nevertheless backed his passion for his new occupation and as his rising pile of achievement showed, he didn't let them down. Enamoured by the beauty of Dal Lake, he competed at a higher level in the juniors of the Srinagar Nationals, 1999. This time he had a gold in the 1000 metres of K-2 and a silver each in the K-1 500 and K-2 200. His richest haul came later that year in the Upper Lake, Bhopal.

Prasanth picked up stunning seven golds--in the junior K-1 200, 500 and 1000 metres, an encore in K-2 and K-4 200 gold too. Frequent victory in the under 18 category spurred him to the seniors competition, where he was a member of the quartet that claimed the 200 metres silver.

To establish that his feats in the junior level were no flukes, he swept five golds in the 2000 Nainital Nationals, passing the finishing post first in the K-1 200, 500 and 1000 metres and the K-2 200 and 500. There was no stopping Prasanth, who claimed three silvers and two bronzes in the Punjab National Games, 2001 for which the Kerala government gave him a reward of Rs. 3.5 lakh.

Seeing his potential, he was recruited to the Artillery Centre in Golconda. Prasanth considers himself fortunate that the officers there are very supportive and provide the equipment and encouragement to bring out the best in their sportsmen. The Hussain Sagar is a happy hunting ground. Its hard water makes practice tougher but that eases things considerably when he competes elsewhere. A gold on the lake in the 2004 National championships was quite heartening. It was a narrow miss at the Bhopal Asian championships, where he finished fourth.

Prasanth is however not one to rest on his oars, just 24 years old and raring to touch greater heights.

A. JOSEPH ANTONY

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