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INDIAN sportspersons struggle to create an impression in team sports, maybe due to linguistic and cultural differences as a group creating hurdles in attaining optimal performance levels. The nation’s 2006-2007 season champions in individual events like boxing (M C Merykom), chess (Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Viswanathan Anand, athletics ( Renjith Maheswary), cuesports (Chitra Magimairaj) to name a few achievers, showed themselves able and willing to perform against the best in world and Asian sport. The road to victory was littered with difficulties, but each one fought their way to the top. The footmarks left behind, the doors of opportunities opened by them will guide the next generation to make further headway.
Merykom was ranked world number one in her weight category (46 kgs) after the 2006 AIBA World Boxing Championships gold, GM Humpy (ELO 2572) is placed at number two in FIDE women’s list behind Judith Polgar; GM Anand (ELO 2792) topped the FIDE men’s list in April ahead of Vladimir Kramnik (ELO 2769). Triple jumper Renjith is rated 16th in the world for a 17.19m gold-winning leap at 2007 Asian Championships in Amman. Chitra Magimairaj defeated Emma Bonney in the 2007 World Ladies Billiards final at Cambridge, the latest addition to Indian cuesports galaxy of world champions. |
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Banking on fitness and agility to tire out rivals in World Women’s Boxing competitions, Merykom staged a silent revolution in the way Indian girls view boxing. The wiry Manipuri, honoured with the Arjuna and Padmashri awards by the Indian government for outstanding sporting achievement, is a very popular champion in her home state for international achievements, apart from fame in Asian boxing circles for aggressive, consistent performances since 2001.
Merykom showcased the resilience and ambition in Indian women by attaining world number one status in her weight category, defending the AIBA World’s 46kg title in New Delhi. She won via a points decision (22-7) over Romania ‘s Steluta Duta in the final bout at the Talkatora Indoor stadium, building on crushing victories over Kazakhstan’s Boranbayeva Zalgul (RSC-2) and North Korea’s Jong Ok in the previous rounds.The Indian ruled the ring in 46kg at the Venus Box Cup in Denmark, punching her way to the top ahead of Romanian, Danish and Italian boxers. Like any amateur world-class boxer, the Manipuri considers participation in the Olympics Games as her next priority and has a string of title victories to back her claim as one of the India’s future medal prospects. |
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| Vishwanathan Anand ... it’s all about focus! |
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North Korea’s Jan Song Ae (2002), Taipei’s Chou Szu Yin (2003) and China’s Xia Li (2004) were her conquests in World Championships final bouts.
Grandmaster Koneru Humpy is another barrier-breaker among Indian sporting achievers. The youngest woman to attain men’s Grandmaster rank at 15 years, 1 month, 27 days (Hungary’s Judith Polgar held the distinction earlier at 15y, 4m, 27d) she is the current world number two player in women’s chess (as per FIDE 2007 rankings) and the world’s best in girls category.
A fast, attacking player in the Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand mould, this 20-year-old chess prodigy is the only Indian so far to win four world age group titles (world u-10 champion, u-12, u-14 and u-20). She remained world junior topper an unprecedented 21 times. Groomed from a young age by father Ashok, she fulfilled parental expectations by winning events in India, then Asia and now is a known face on the world chess scene.
GM Humpy’s strength is positional play and decisive in endgames, seen in two international wins this year at the Kaupthing Open and HSG Open. Last year, she fired up the Indian contingent at the Doha Asian Games with the nation’s first gold in women’s rapid Swiss event. Inspired by her, girls like Harika Dronavalli (15th in FIDE world u-20 rankings) are poised to increase India’s presence on the world stage, opening doors for players to follow.
India already has a huge presence in men’s chess from the time GM Anand broke into the world top 10 list in 1991, moved to the second position a decade ago and is an icon at world number one (as per July 2007 FIDE rankings with ELO points 2792). A world beater in rapid chess, the Indian is in demand with international tournament organisers for speed of thought at the table and creative play. Indian athletes are making an impact on the Asian circuit, among whom triple jumper Renjith Maheswary exploded with astonishing leap to attain world number 24 rank (as per IAAF list). The Kerala jumper, credited with personal best of 17.19m at the Asian Championships in Amman, is now ranked 16th among world long jumpers listed by IAAF (July 2007). For the first time, three other Indian triple jumpers appear in world rankings list (Bibu Mathew at 52, Amarjeet Singh 63, Alex Thomas 69 being the others).
The noteworthy part about Renjith’s Amman and Guwahati (17.04m at Asian Grand Prix series) efforts is that he will now be watched with interest in Asia, especially by the Chinese. The Indian qualified for the coming World Athletics at Osaka and also for the Beijing Olympics next year, so can only get better with timely international exposure and coaching under a specialist coach. |
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Women’s long jumper Anju George trained under American athletics great Mike Powell in the past, so for the 22-year-old triple jumper, the sky is the limit if he can get a chance to hone the rough edges in technique and remain injury-free till 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Competition at home from other three on the IAAF list will keep Renjith on his toes, all four prodding each other onward, as the 17m barrier in triple jump no longer exists. Indian athletics can expect exciting times ahead.
India is termed a ‘sleeping giant’ in football, by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). A recent endorsement came from FIFA Secretary, Sepp Blatter, whose visit to India is seen as an indicator of the world body’s interest in pushing for change in the All India Football Federation’s way of functioning towards a focused, result-oriented approach.
Anju executing one of her
classic jumps ... |
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Even as the AIFF races against time to put a structure in place for professional football to bloom, Indian clubs competing in the National Football League are better positioned to make headway in Asia. The momentum attained by these corporate-supported regional teams (Mumbai’s Mahindra United or Goa’s Dempo Sports Club) chasing success in Asian club tournaments like the AFC Cup for example, appears more likely to pull the national football towards the road to revival.
The reasons for dynamic nature of
club football, compared to national
fortunes, are many. The major
ones being accountability at
the top, quicker decisions
by management, presence
of professionally qualified
club coaches,
availability of
foreign players
from Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria on hire and committed Indian internationals. Mahindra United, to cite a recent example, built on a successful 2006 domestic season by qualifying for the 2007 AFC Club Championship quarterfinalsM umbai’s Mahindra Group of Companies supports the team financially, coach Derrick Pereira is an ex-international and holder of AFC’s A level pro coaching licence. Ghana’s attacking playmaker Yusif Yakubu, captain last season, was influential in inspiring the Indian internationals to lift their game and match Asian levels. The decision of other club managements to invest in qualified coaches, both foreign and Indian, will result in gradual benefits to the national squad.
Bob Houghton, the Englishman put in charge of the national men’s squad, is trying to open communication channels with club coaches, so that in future players make a faster transition from club to international football and learning becomes a continuous process for club stars donning the India colours. The Indian chief coach is also working towards a planned schedule for India’s international commitments and major club competitions so that internationals are not forced into making a choice between club or country.
Established coaches in Indian club football are JCT’s Sukhwinder Singh (ex-India chief coach), Salgaocar’s Savio Medeira (ex-India midfielder and AFC A Licence holder), East Bengal’s Carlos Pereira de Silva (Brazil), Sporting Clube de Goa’s Clifford Chukwama (Nigeria), Churchill Brothers’ Karim Bencharifa (Morocco) and Mumbai FC’s David Booth (England). Each one has distinctive teaching methods and with assured management support, can forge players’ resources into a formidable combination.
Armando Colaco, coach of Dempo SC, India’s 2007 season champion, has a head-start over others due to availability of top-class local and foreign talent. Brazilian attacking midfielder Beto, African strikers Ranti Martins and Chidi Edeh, supported by seasoned internationals Mahesh Gawli, Samir Naik and matchwinners Clifford Miranda and Anthony Fernandes can turn Dempo into a potent force, capable of emulating Mahindra United’s AFC Cup display so far. |
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