Pinnacle of perseverance

It has been tales of grit and determination at the Khelo India University Games 2023 which comes to an end on Thursday with new meet records achieved and paths set for future star players of the countryThe athletics section boosted of at least four new KIUG records at the events played at the Indira Gandhi stadiumPole vaulter M Gowtham of University of Madras cleared the distance of 5m to take home the mens pole vault gold medalJavelin thrower Jyoti of Chaudhary Devi Lal University who had won the gold medal in the National Open Athletics meet in Bengaluru in October last year came up with a throw of 5316m in her fourth attempt to clinch the womens javelin throw gold and also set a new meet recordIn the womens 800m event Punjab Universitys Amandeep Kaur clocked 21127s to clinch the gold medal with a new Games record while Vikash of Chandigarh University registered a new Games record in mens 1500 m clocking 35070s to take the goldChandigarh University looks poised to top medals tally with 28 golds in its kitty already followed by Lovely Professional University with 17 golds and Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar with 12 goldsThe KIUG 2023 were held in 18 venues across seven cities of North East with Guwahati hosting the opening ceremony which was attended by Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur among othersMore than 4500 players from over 200 universities competed in the Khelo India University Games 2023The KIUG is a part of the Indian governments Khelo India initiative that was launched in 2016 focussing on promoting grassroots sports and identifying young talents from across the countryFor some like Mrinal Chauhan of Lovely Professional University a second spot in the Recurve men on debut at the KIUG was no mean featWith limited financial means to pursue archery which involves high cost training equipment as his family depends on the earnings of his fathers stationery shop Mrinals early struggles are now nearly overSupport through the Tagert Olympic Podium TOP scheme a flagship initiative by the ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs meant that he could take forward his passion honing his skills at the Tata Archery Academy in JamshedpurTOPS has allowed me to dream bigger aim higher Now I dont have to dependent on my father for my financial needs as I get stipend every month the 20yearold said adding that the Games were also a vital preparation for the upcoming trials leading to the Paris Olympics qualification eventsAlso Read Maharashtra gymnast Aaryan Davande raises the bar bags two more goldJyoti Kattimai of Karnataka University may have failed to make a podium finish but her story of fighting tough financial constraints to make this far is an inspiration in itselfWith her father working as a scrap dealer and mother as a housekeeping staff in the same sports hostel in Dharwad where Jyoti trains it has been a tale of long struggle for the 24yearoldJyotis family of eight members including four sisters expanded to 13 after two of her elder sisters returned home with their children after a few years of marriage and the family just about pulling alongShe may have had to remain contend with the fifth spot in the 800m for women but Jyoti hopes to keep on pursuing her game with her coach Shamla Patil being her biggest support who also sponsors her university feesThe vital role of coaches in shaping a player or a team cannot be stressed enough and Bharati Vidyapeeths rugby team credit their coach for the show they could put upComing in as defending champions the team did not have high hopes for a podium finish as the core of their team that won the gold in Lucknow last year had passed out of the varsityBut the team with almost all new players was marshalled brilliantly by Prashant Arvind Singh who works as a gym instructor in Mumbai to clinch the bronze medal hereIt is a big thing for us because we reached here after only 15 days of preparation We will return next year and win our third gold said Prashant who has also represented India at the U19 level and was part of the silver medalwinning Maharashtra team in the National Games held in Goa last yearHis father who is a newspaper vendor was an athlete and his mother was a district level kabaddi player and both always encouraged their children to take up sports as a careerBut financial problems had forced Prashant to take a break from the sport for a few yearsI stayed away from sports and took up a job for a while From 2017 to 2020 I worked as a food delivery agent to support my family and even today I work as a gym instructor But sports is my first love and I have returned to it he addedWith agency inputs