India May Also Feature In Running at Olympics

Nithin Balakumar, a young athlete from Tamil Nadu who is under-21 boy, clocked 10.76 seconds in the 100m a personal best to be marked as the fastest at the Khelo India Youth Games in Pune at the Balewadi Sports Complex recently.

The tally was slower than the Under-20 national record by just 0.29 seconds that was achieved by Gurindervir Singh in national Olympics of 2018.That Union Sports and Youth Affairs minister, Sh. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who was a 2004 Olympic silver medallist in shooting, has referred the Khelo India Games an ‘aspirational platform’ which gives a stage to the athletes like Nithin who has agility to improve in future. The matter of discussion being Augustine Yesudas, an athlete whose five year old record was shredded by Gurindervir with a timing of 10.47 seconds at the 16th Federation Cup national junior athletics championship. WhileYesudas to set the then 100m national junior record had timed 10.57 seconds in 2013. The expectations with Yesudas was to continue in the same enthusiasm and caliber at the senior level category but it all went to vain. At the Fed Cup National Senior Athletics Championships in 2018, he had cloaked 11.31 seconds in 100m heats and thus was not able to qualify for the final. There are many cases which abound the Indian sports like West Bengal’s Chandan Bauri had then in the junior 400m national record of 46.99 seconds in 2015 thus equaled the time made by Uttar Pradesh’s Virender Kumar Pankaj in national championship in 2006. Bauri fate was faded away by subsequent injuries rather he joined the 2016 Rio Olympics. Thus it is speculated that Khelo India getting unmatchable publicity that other sport events or local multi sports championships had witnessed. As improved facilities, a goodfollow-up system gives support to any young athlete who is talented which helps to create a bigger pool for large scale events. Khelo India is featured to support at least 1,000 young talented and progressive athletes every year with Rs.5 lakh each upto eight years. The progress is the mark that will be monitored and relying completely on that, they will be included to get further financial help. There is also apersonal accident policy of Rs 25 lakh and a medical insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh for each of the selected athletes. Athletes need to join any of the 54 accredited academies which includes Sports Authority of India or some repudiated state centers and some private institutes.

By:AnujaArora

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