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Emerging champions

Hard work has paid off at State-level competitions

PHOTO: M. MOORTHY

STRETCHING OUT Aiming high.

Rigourous training at the highest level brought out the best in them. No wonder then that they consider their victory in the State-level Athletic meet recently concluded in Madurai, as "incidental". Members of Rail Sports Club Athletic Academy, Tiruchi, made a rich haul of 17 gold medals. Among the performers, three promising youngsters, F. Sabeeb Raheman and D. Karpuramala in the men's and women's section, respectively, and J. Praveen Anand in the Under-20 category clinched the individual championship. And the architect behind this success is the former international high jumper and coach of the academy, N. Annavi.

Morale-boosting win

"This result means a lot to them. They have done all the hard work and now this win will give them the much needed confidence," he says with pride. Sabeeb at present is the only South Indian to be ranked among the top 8 shot putters in the country and has been training under Annavi for the past six years.

"To qualify for the nationals it is important to cross the 16m target and I have bettered that mark comfortably. For me the immediate goal is to clear 18m and then progress gradually," says Sabeeb, who along with Karpuramala joined Southern Railways through sports quota. He considers All India Railways Meet to be a much tougher competition as compared to the State event, what with top throwers from the country competing in the event.

Athletes with distinction

Karpuramala and Praveen Anand, a student of Jamal Mohammed College, have specialised in Heptathlon and Decathlon events and hold the distinction of commendable performances at the National level competitions.

Heptathlon comprises 200m, 800m, 100m hurdles, shot put, javelin, high jump and long jump, while Decathlon consists of 100m, 400 m, 1,500 m, 110m hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, discus, javelin and pole vault.

No doubt, both these events demand lot of guts and stamina from the athletes.

"As far as these events are concerned it is important to be consistent as they have to make a good score in both to increase their overall standing. They should be strong in the basics to perform well," Annavi adds and also makes a special mention about the Jamal Mohammed College management for exempting Praveen from paying fees.

Scientific training

He also cites the systematic and scientific training methods provided to the youngsters as the major reason for their good performance.

"What is more important than talent is the willingness to learn and work hard. And this group of youngsters fit the bill," Annavi says.

G.PRASAD

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