With the Commonwealth Games underway, sports mania has gripped the capital. And what has been truly heartening are the gold-winning performances of Indian athletes in sports like weightlifting, wrestling, shooting, and archery. After winning a total of 48 medals, which is only second to Australia in the overall medal tally, such “not so popular” sports are now catching the fancy of youngsters, who are gearing up to learn and master these games.
With Vijendra Kumar and Akhil Kumar as his latest mentors, Smitashish Sengupta, a college student is now keen on taking coaching in boxing. “I was crazy about boxing, after I watched Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa. Since then, I always wanted to learn the sport. But after watching our Indian boxers’ power-packed performance, I now want to enroll in a boxing training institute and I hope to participate in mega sports events like the CWG in the future.”
Sports like wrestling, shooting, archery and gymnastics, which were considered to be a man’s domain, now have female enthusiasts vouching for them as well. Says Monica Nathani, a student, “Although I’m lazy, when it comes to sports, the whole charm of CWG excites me. I recently went to watch gymnastics and it was amazing. I used to feel that Indians somewhere lack in these sports, so they never thrilled me, but now I’m really looking forward to learning gymnastics.”
Seconds Ruchi, a Netball player, “It’s the first time ever that we had our Netball team in CWG. It feels good to see their progress. It also encourages my whole team to practice the sport with gusto. It was also good to see Indian woman wrestlers Alka Tomar and Anita taking this sport to new heights.”
But many still feel that proper facilities are required to boost sports in the country.
Guncha Dua, who is huge fan of Saina Nehwal, and have already started her badminton coaching says, “I feel proud that young boys and girls from small towns are doing such a great job. Despite the lack of resources and exposure, they are making the country proud, not only among Commonwealth countries, but the entire world.”