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SPORTS
The lone ranger battling the odds
Amit Kumar
It
required the ignominy of the expulsion of Indian Olympic Association
by the International Olympic Committee to bring him and Luge into
public eye. The Winter Olympian from Manali, Shiva Keshavan, has been
a silent hero. The game he represents can be fatally dangerous. Not
only was Keshavan India’s only Olympic representative in Nagano
Games in 1998, the then-16-year-old was the youngest Luge entrant
ever. Sochi performance might not have been up to the mark, but he had
an eventful time with a near fatal crash in the practice run and
nick-of-the-time recovery, the video of which went viral on the social
media.
Shiva Keshavan competes in the Men's Luge final at the Sanki Sliding Center during the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 Photo: AFP |
Excerpts
from an interview:
Sochi
was your fifth Winter Olympics. It is a stupendous feat to achieve.
What do you think has happened different this time around that the
sport is getting its due from the media? Has India’s expulsion been
the blessing in disguise?
Well,
expulsion did generate attention which was not there earlier and it
has put some pressure on the Government. It is good that the matter is
in public eye and we can hope for good things to come. With the new
administration in place, we need to start afresh and hopefully, there
will be long-term planning now. With Rajiv Mehta, who was earlier
President of National Luge Association (NLA), as new Secretary of the
Indian Olympic Association there is hope that the Luge gets better
representation now. NLA as of now is not recognised by the Sports
Ministry and getting the recognition should be the first step in the
right direction.
How
bad was the crash during practice just before the event?
It was
rough. There were no major injuries and I got away with minor
scratches. But it is never good to have a crash in the last practice
session just before the event. I had to re-set my equipment.
How
did you feel at having not been allowed to participate under the
national flag?
It was
disappointing. It showed a great deal of lack of commitment and
awareness on the part of our administrators. They did not see it
coming. But, ironically, it helped as it generated public outcry.
How
was the reaction among athletes of other countries towards Indian
expulsion by IOC?
The
Winter Games are followed all over the globe with a close to billion
eyes watching the opening ceremony. It really tarnished our image as a
sports-loving country. Many athletes came over to us and while
expressing solidarity enquired as to why the expulsion happened? Later
during the flag-hoisting ceremony, after India was re-inducted into
the international fold, participants from many countries attended the
ceremony.
Keshavan will participate in Winterburg in Germany in December and after that the Asian Championship and the Word Cup Circuit |
How
do you rate your performance this time?
Not
memorable. I was aiming to finish in the top 20, but I finised 37th.
How
fair is it to expect you to participate and win for the country
without any visible support from the government?
It is
very difficult to compete at the highest level. It might seem strange
but I do not have a personal coach, and the equipment we are using is
7 to 8/tenth of a second slower than what other guys have. The
upgraded equipment would have helped me finish amongst the top 15. The
equipment in Luge is so much tied with a coach as he can suggest
crucial changes to suit your game.
How
can the winter sports be made popular in India?
Winter
sports are already popular. What we need is a sustained programme with
kids so that they get international exposure. The game as such needs
profiling. We have 3,000 km of mountain range which can be utilised to
plan exciting events which attract youngsters towards the game.
What
do you expect government to do to ensure we win at these events?
The
process has to involve talent scouting and training. Then, Elite
Athlete Level, where we take our players to major world events for
exposure and most importantly the government should ensure a source of
livelihood for players so they would be motivated to give their best
always. There has to be a four to eight-year focus.
What
are your plans for the next Olympic Games at Pyeongchang in South
Korea ?
Training,
training and more training. I am looking forward to Winterburg in
Germany which will be held in December and after that the Asian
Championship and Word Cup Circuit. The other important vital cog is
equipment. I have met Sports Minister and Olympic Association office
bearers after my return. I am sure there will be a sustained effort
now. We must have a 10 member-participant team at the next Games.
A
word of advice for budding players who want to take Luge as
competitive sports option?
I would
only say that anybody can do it. It might not come naturally to you,
but it can be inculcated. One has to chart his or her own course. It
is difficult but exciting.
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Partners beyond boundaries
Sabi Hussain
‘Stop
War, Start Tennis’ — the Indo-Pak pairing of Rohan Bopanna
and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi had launched a novel campaign in 2011,
which earned them the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, but little
did they know that the same year would witness the end of their
much-publicised partnership.
Rohan Bopanna with partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan(L) during their men's doubles match at the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne Photo: AFP |
They succeeded
in starting a fresh chapter in the India-Pakistan relations when
pakistan’s’s then Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited
the country. Her visit hailed a new era in ties between the two
nations.
However, the
Indo-Pak Doubles Express could not save their own partnership
from splitting up, that too due to external factors — the
issue was the 2012 London Olympics and the problem was between
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.
Bopanna joined
hands with Bhupathi for the Olympics and Qureshi ended up
playing with different partner. The partnership, which had
started in 2007, reached its peak in 2010 when they made it to
the US Open final. Next year the duo won the ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 title in Paris before entering the ATP World Tour
finals in London.
Two years down
the road, they have again joined hands, and their sights are
firmly set on winning the Asian Games gold medal and adding to
their Grand Slams tally.
"Aisam and
I have always had a great understanding and have had a
reasonable amount of success previously. Our aim will be to
achieve success at the Grand Slams and winning the gold medal at
the Asian Games (with our respective partners). These Games are
an important event in the current calendar year. It is also a
chance to play for the country and there is a great sense of
pride in that for myself," Bopanna said during in an
interview.
"Since
then (after our split), we both have gained a lot of experience
on the circuit which should help us this year. We are both
enjoying playing with each other and are confident of our
abilities as a team," said Bopanna.
It’s been a
mixed start to the year 2014 for the Indo-Pak team. They reached
the final of the Sydney Open, lost in the round of 16 at the
Australian Open and then crashed out in the first round at
Rotterdam. But they made a strong comeback, winning their first
ATP Tour title of the season after re-union in Dubai Duty Free
Tennis Championships. This was the fifth title overall for
Bopanna and Qureshi together after playing with different
partners for two seasons.
The win was
also a sweet revenge for Bopanna and Qureshi, who lost to the
same opponents in the final of the Sydney International in
January this year.
"It has
been a mixed start to the year for us. We will be looking to
continue the momentum of Dubai for the rest of the year,"
he said. Bopanna, world number 12 in doubles, played with eight
different doubles’ partners last year, playing a majority of
his tennis with singles specialist Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
Bopanna
described the experience of playing with different partners as a
great learning curve for him.
Rohan Bopanna with his wife during the ATP Chennai Open 2013 in Chennai Photo: PTI |
"Last year
was a great learning experience for me. Playing with the various
different partners helped me understand my game much better and
I can confidently say I am a much improved player over the last
year. Playing with different partners helped us as we both
gained valuable experience over the last year which we have
brought forward to our partnership," he said. The
33-year-old seemed equally excited about the inaugural edition
of the International Tennis Premier League (ITPL) this year,
which he described as a revolutionary step conceptualised by
tennis veteran Mahesh Bhupathi.
The league will
begin on November 28 in Singapore and conclude on December 14 in
Dubai. The 2014 season will feature 24 matches across four host
cities. The four teams will compete in a round-robin format in
each of the four cities.
"I am very
excited and am looking forward to participating. Mahesh has
always been a front runner in terms of his understanding the
business angle of sports and I wish him the very best. The ITPL
does look promising for the sport in India. It is a unique
concept which offers excitement and considering the names
involved I am sure that it will be a success," he said.
Bopanna will play for the
Mumbai franchise in the league, which also has world number one
Rafael Nadal and India’s doubles stars Sania Mirza.
"Playing alongside such great players is a great
opportunity to learn from them and improve," Bopanna added. |
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