At the age of 100, Man Kaur has become the oldest female competitor at the Vancouver Senior Games. Who thinks of competitive running at the age of 100, and that too when one is a great grandmother? But Man Kaur has defied all the limitations that age and gender can impose to become the senior most female competitor ever at the Vancouver Senior Games. She made the 100 metre dash with single-minded determination and hit the finish line, clocking in just over a minute.

Though the other participants, who are several years younger, were running past her, Man Kaur was cheered by the crowd with awe and respect.

[embedvideo id="wzEXyErvoAY" website="youtube"]

Source: Youtube

Man Kaur became a runner at the age of 93, when she was already a great grandmother.  Never before had she competed in sports or received any training in sports. It was her son Gurudev Singh who encouraged her to take up running. Gurudev, 78 years old, is a runner himself and has participated in various international competitions in the seniors category. It was in 2011 that it struck him that his mother could be a runner too. Gurudev says, “When I came back home after participating in senior games and seeing elderly sportspersons from other countries, I thought my mother could participate too. My mother has always been a healthy, physically fit and energetic woman. When I told her this, she cheerfully accepted the new challenge and we soon hit the tracks to train.” In the same year, 2011, Man Kaur participated in the National Masters Athletics Championship held in Chandigarh and represented India in the World Masters Athletics Championship at Sacramento. She took part in the 95+ category and won two gold medals in Sacramento. She created two new world records in her age category and was also declared Athlete of the Year. And ever since, she has been participating in various national and international competitions.

Man Kaur has won 5 gold medals in 100, 200, 400 metre races, shotput and javelin throw.

[caption id="attachment_66593" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Man Kaur, 100-year-old sprinter at Vancouver Senior Games[/caption]

Photo credit: cbc.ca

Gurudev says, “No insurance company has had the grit to offer my mother insurance coverage. But both my mother and I are spirited enough to travel several miles to participate in these competitions. So much so that we spend from our own pockets to participate in these games.” Man Kaur trains at the tracks every day and also does weight training. She eats simple home cooked food and lives with her daughter in Chandigarh. You can write to Gurudev Singh at seniorgames2005@yahoo.com

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India is celebrating women power in sports. Two young, talented sportspersons have defied social norms and worked relentlessly to etch their name in the history books – Haryana girl Sakshi Malik is first female wrestler to win an Olympic medal, while the southern smasher P.V. Sindhu is first to bring home an Olympic silver in badminton. Indeed, sport has emerged as one of the best ways to trash stereotype and set change in motion. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, shares her views on the contribution of sport to achieve gender equality and end violence against women and girls. The work that we do for and about women and girls is often about the things women are fighting against. Sports give us an opportunity to do something that puts girls and women in the best, positive light.

It shows off their strength and their capacity to be winners.

Credit:  Saadia Azim\WFS

But sports are also important in our society and in the work that we do because they provide particular skills that women need in the world of work and in their private life: the capacity to be a team player, the spirit and the will to win fairly, the importance of looking after your body and being healthy and, of course, what you get out of being in a happy state, which is what sports also do. Sports can be an important source of income for women. [Recently] we were discussing equal pay for work of equal value. The former captain of the US Women’s World Cup team, Abby Wambach, shared what happened to her team, and how despite being one of the top goal scorers in the world among both men and women, she is paid less than the many men who are her counterparts, but who have scored fewer goals. And last year when the US team won the Women’s World Cup in football they were paid 90 per cent less than the winning men’s team and four times less than the losing men’s team from the US. I mean how [does this happen]? I don’t even have the words [to express my shock at such a prejudiced attitude].

As sport is a source of income for women it is therefore also important to support and protect women’s interests so that they can also thrive from it.

Credit: Saadia Azim\WFS

Sports has given us an opportunity to form exciting partnerships. Brazil, as a country, is a partner to us [UN Women] and to the IOC [International Olympic Committee]. And together in Brazil, we intend to enrich and impact all the girls and boys in the communities of Rio through the use of sports and through addressing all kinds of issues from empowerment to self-esteem. And that also will be a legacy that we will together leave for the people of those cities and those communities. We obviously also participate very actively in advocating for representation of women in all sporting bodies from FIFA to the IOC, as well as to national level clubs and associations. We have a wonderful relationship with Valencia Football Club, which at this point in time, has also helped us to take HeForShe [UN Women campaign] into the sporting arena. Through this relationship, we are engaging men and boys. We are able to also project some of the positive masculinity—the things that men can do in order for them to influence their friends positively. On their jerseys Valencia players wear the UN Women logo. And again that causes a conversation. Who is this UN Women? What do they stand for? Why are they wearing this logo? And this just gives us another opportunity to have a conversation. Again, another opportunity that sports is helping us with—to take the message further to an unlikely audience. As a classical UN entity, we are less likely to speak to the audiences that go to the stadium. It is only those who know how to play, just a few of us, who can speak to that audience. So, it therefore becomes important that in thinking about Agenda 2030 and in thinking about the Sustainable Development Goals, we see sports as one of the important building blocks to take us there, because women themselves address the stereotypes. You cannot take away good talent. So once you put in place someone who has talent and they do their thing, you trash the stereotype of what girls can do. There is magic in sports. And we are part of that magic.

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"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau." - Dan Rather

Ask a successful person about someone who helped them become great and most will mention a teacher. There’s no question that teachers can have an incredible impact on the lives of their students. Great teachers can spark ideas, inspire hard work, cultivate confidence, and instil values that last a lifetime, well beyond the confines of a classroom. For many Indian celebrities and public figures, their teachers inspired them to go after the impossible, to dream big dreams, and to remain diligent in the pursuit of their passions and talents.

Here are the stories of 10 amazing teachers who made a difference in the lives of their extraordinary students.

1. Sagar Mal Dhayal

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Sparring partner, mentor and father figure to M C Mary Kom,  Pinky Rani and L Sarita Devi, Sagar Mal Dhayal is a man who has played many roles in his 10-year coaching stint with India’s women pugilists. He has led a largely understated coaching career except for the infamous 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, where Sarita Devi hit the international headlines for breaking down and refusing to accept her bronze medal after a controversial semifinal loss. Throughout the episode, Sagar Mal Dhayal supported her unflinchingly, an action for which he had to later face disciplinary charges. He was eventually exonerated by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

“ I don’t regret anything. I was her coach, the person responsible for women boxers there, I had to stand by her, I couldn’t have left her. She was distraught and it was our responsibility to take care of her. When I saw her crying there in front of the judges, I felt how a father would feel for his daughter. It was an emotional moment,” said the 1994 batch National Institute of Sports (NIS) coaching course topper in a Press Trust of India interview.

Dhayal, a superb boxer himself before becoming a coach in 1995, has been awarded the Dronacharya award this year.

2. Pullela Gopichand

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As India goes gaga over P V Sindhu’s amazing Olympic achievement, there is one man who is quietly savouring the moment – coach Pullela Gopichand.  The former champion has honed the skills of all of India’s top badminton players, right from Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu to P Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth. Gopichand is a recipient of the Arjuna Award, the Dronacharya Award and the Padma Bhushan, besides being the only second Indian shuttler after Prakash Padukone to win the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001. He became the national chief coach of the Indian badminton team after suffering a pre-quarter final loss in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He made Saina a force to reckon with over the years, and is still moulding Sindhu to become one of the greatest. Other players like Srikanth, P Kashyap and Prannoy Kumar too have been playing well recently, and the coach's motivational words, strategy, tenacity and persistence have been integral to their success. The ride so far has not been easy for Gopichand as he has made numerous sacrifices and taken tough risks to reach this position. He went on a Ketogenic diet (a high-fat, average protein and low-carb diet) for a whole year just to check if his proteges would be able to take it!

"When I started out as a coach, there were many who dissuaded me saying the system will not let you succeed. But I feel it is important to keep pushing. I saw ourselves as world beaters and I wanted to prove the sceptics wrong,'' he was quoted as saying by Firstpost.

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You May Also Like: A Behind the Scenes Look at How Gopichand Prepared P V Sindhu to Win Big at Rio

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3. Pradeep Kumar

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Unassuming S Pradeep Kumar has been the face of Indian swimming for a long time – not as a swimmer but as the coach guiding young and upcoming swimmers of different age groups into the Indian teams for various international competitions. In 1986, as a young swimming coach, Kumar left Palode, a remote hamlet near Thiruvananthapuram, to chase his dreams in Bengaluru. Armed with determination, sincerity and passion to fight a flawed system, he charted a new course for Indian swimming at Bengaluru's Basavanagudi Aquatic Club (BAC), working tirelessly for nearly three decades. Once the lone coach at BAC, Pradeep now heads a group of 17 mentors who have overseen the training of budding Indian swimmers. These include the swimmers who represented India at Rio - Sajan Prakash and Shivani Kataria – and four Arjuna awardees – Nisha, Abhijit J, Rehan, and Prasanta Karmakar. The veteran may have coached swimmers to Olympic qualification, but he derives more joy from watching underdogs triumph. Speaking to The Hindu in an interview, he said:

"It's been a fantastic journey. It has seen a lot of sound and fury, to borrow from Shakespeare. As a coach, you go through a lot of emotional stress. You cry when your swimmers lose, and you're overjoyed when they win. However, my happiest moment has always been seeing some children who have never won a medal finally get on the podium."

4. Bishweshwar Nandi

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Till recently, Bishweshwar Nandi had one key prize to show off – his student Dipa Karmakar, who has been making waves in Indian sports with her path-breaking gymnastic feats. Now, he has another feather in his cap - the 2016 Dronacharya award. Not only did Nandi spot Dipa's talent, he also helped her train for the dangerous Produnova vault event once she was firm about her choice. Nandi went the extra mile many a time – travelling to Delhi with Dipa several time for her training and not sparing any efforts to acquire expensive equipment for her with the government’s aid. His efforts paid off when Dipa became the first Indian to ever qualify for a gymnastics event at the Rio Olympics.When Dipa lost the bronze by the tiniest of margins, it was an equally crestfallen Nandi who comforted his inconsolable student. Nandi was himself an accomplished gymnast in the 1980s, winning the national championship five times and representing India in the 1982 Asian Games. In a Times of India interview, Nandi said:

"I remain unfazed by criticism as well as any recognition. I'm more comfortable working with my wards in the gymnasium. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a gymnast perfect a routine and win laurels for the country. My mission is to discover more Dipas and bring them into spotlight."

5. Nagapuri Ramesh

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Hyderabad's Nagapuri Ramesh has been churning out champions on the athletics track and sports field for over 15 years. Though his passion for athletics earned him a name at the state and national levels, Ramesh, who once worked with Kakatiya High School in Warangal as a physical education teacher, never planned his career as a national coach. A direct recruitment in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Hyderabad for topping the diploma course in 1991 changed Ramesh's life. The next few years were fruitful for him as he produced some excellent athletes like M Madhavi, long jump winner at the Junior Asian Championship in Delhi in 1996. Ramesh spent months on end away from his family so that he could hone the skills of some of India’s best sprinters. His efforts have been instrumental in shaping several Olympians, most notably Dutee Chand, who became the first Indian to achieve the qualifying mark for the women’s 100 metres at the just-concluded Rio Games. In fact, Ramesh has mentored Dutee through a punishing ordeal arising out of hyperandrogenism and put her back on track. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Ramesh was the fitness trainer of the Indian hockey team where Mukesh Kumar scored the fastest goal — in 30 seconds — in the opener against Australia. He was also the personal fitness trainer for cricketer VVS Laxman when the latter scored  an epic 281 in Kolkata, which helped India pull off a memorable come-from-behind victory against Australia. Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, he said:

“I am thankful to my wife and daughters who have put up with my busy schedule for a decade-and-a-half. The athletics season runs from January to December and one has to be on the move all the time. I have spent more time at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala than at home but my family is supportive.”

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You May Also Like: In Azamgarh, One Coach Nurtures the Dreams of 18 Girl Wrestlers to Help India Win at the Olympics

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6. Ramakant Achrekar

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If there’s one photograph that Sachin Tendulkar would have loved to display on his wall at home, it would probably be an image of himself sitting behind Ramakant Achrekar while the coach rode his Lambretta to take him from one match to another in the mid-1980s. The legendary batsman has even tweeted a picture where he is seen bowing down to his beloved coach as a mark of unwavering respect. Born in Maharashtra, Achrekar quickly found out that he was not cut out for playing the game. After a few initial failures, he moved on to a higher aspect of the game – coaching. In 1964, he began coaching with full zest, determined to mould India’s future heroes, and he has never looked back. Based out of Mumbai's Shivaji Park, Achrekar began the gruelling training of some of India's best cricketers, determined to shape them into world class sportsmen. The results are there for everyone to see. He was awarded the Dronacharya Award in 1990 and the  Padma Shri in 2010 for his outstanding contribution to Indian cricket. Remembering the defining moment of his cricketing career, Tendulkar once said that it was the time when Achrekar slapped him for skipping a practice scheduled for him at Shivaji Park and instead going off to Wankhede Stadium to cheer his school playing in a final.

"When we were leaving the stadium, my friend and I saw Sir near the dressing room. We thought of greeting him but he was angry and produced his famous "late cut" on my cheek. I had a tiffin box in my hand and it flew in typical Hindi movie style and I juggled to catch it. It was then that he told me, 'If you concentrate on your own game, one day people will come and clap for you'. I think that was the defining moment of my cricketing career. I also remember how Sir would keep a coin as a reward to those who could get me out at the nets. I still have all those coins," said the cricket legend.

7. Mahavir Singh Phogat

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A once-promising wrestler from Delhi’s famed Chandgi Ram Akhada, Mahavir Singh Phogat has provided the country’s wrestling contingent with almost half a dozen top notch grapplers. His daughters and nieces – Babita, Geeta, Ritu, Sangita, Vinesh, and Priyanka –are scripting a revolution in Haryana with their wrestling exploits A former member of India’s national wrestling team, Phogat’s love for his girls is reflected not just in words but in his actions too. He quit his job to train his daughters for the Commonwealth Games. He has also built a gymnasium in a large hall loaned to the girls by a local college and bought high-tech gym equipment that the girls use to train. His hard work and perseverance paid off when Geeta won gold and Babita won silver in the Games held at Delhi. Two years later, they also won a bronze each in the World Championships. In 2012, Geeta became the first Indian female wrestler to compete in the Olympics and in 2014, Babita Kumari and Vinesh won gold medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Though Vinesh's Olympic run at Rio ended in an unlucky injury, she has made the country proud with her stellar performances. Today, it isn’t just Mahavir’s own family, but several girls from Balali and nearby villages also, who turn to him for training. The inspiring father and coach was honoured with the Dronacharya Award in 2016 for his outstanding contribution to women's wrestling in India.

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You May Also Like: Here’s Why Mahavir Singh Phogat Totally Deserves to Have Aamir Khan Play Him in #Dangal

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8. Kuldeep Malik

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Having represented India at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Kuldeep Malik is one of the most experienced freestyle wrestling coaches in the country. Coached by Kuldeep Malik, India's Sakshi Malik wrestled her way into history books as she claimed a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics 2016. A Dhyan Chand Award winner, Malik served as the chief coach of the Indian women’s freestyle wrestling team from 2011 to 2015. Under his watch, the women’s team reaped a rich harvest of medals in continental as well as global championships. In June 2015, Malik was named chief coach of the Indian men’s freestyle team and played a vital part in Narsingh Yadav’s bronze medal effort at the 2015 World Wrestling Championship. The former Olympian  cherishes the moment when Sakshi won the bronze medal and waved the tri-colour while sitting on his shoulders.

"My disciple ended India's nightmare at Rio with a Bronze and the memories of the way India celebrated that medal is something I would love to carry to my grave.  No amount of  reward is bigger than those moments. I saw on TV that how people were celebrating Sakshi's victory and no reward is bigger than making 1.3 billion people feel proud in one go," said an elated Kuldeep Malik in a press interview.

9. Rajkumar Sharma

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“The next time we come here, you will be getting the Dronacharya Award and I'll be applauding from the audience,” Virat Kohli said to his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma when he was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2013 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Raj Kumar Sharma, who has recently been conferred the prestigious Dronacharya award, has been Virat Kohli's coach since he was a child. He has seen Kohli grow from a chubby 10-year-old lad to a 19-year-old who led India U19 to a World Cup victory, to a fit, lean and dapper looking skipper of the Indian Test team.

Recalling Virat's first day as a 10-year-old in an interview to PTI, Sharma said, “I still remember the day when a 10-year-old Virat came to my coaching camp. Today, as an Indian captain, when he comes for a net session, I don't find any difference. He is still the same old little Virat for me. Nothing has changed for him.”

For Sharma, his job as a coach is not over yet and his current focus is on producing the next batch of good competent cricketers who will catch the attention of the cricket lovers.

Kohli acknowledged his debt to his mentor when he tweeted his congratulatory message to his childhood coach, “Congratulations Raj Kumar Sir. All the hard work behind the bigger picture never gets noticed."

10. Satpal Singh

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At 33 years of age, Satpal Singh became the youngest ever Dronacharya awardee. For the past eight years he has helped the Indian para-athletics contingent garner over 80 international medals across events such as Commonwealth, Asian and Paralympic Games. He was the athletics coach at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, where India won one gold and four silver medals. At the International Blind Sports Federation World Championship in Turkey last year, the team won one silver and four bronze medals. Singh also has the distinction of coaching two Arjuna awardees — Jagseet Singh and Ram Karan Singh — in 2010. Singh, who has been a cornerstone for the success of Indian para-athletes, has not been paid a single penny for his achievements till date. Unable to find sponsors for their participation in events held abroad, many para athletes would not have been able to compete at these events if not for Singh, who paid for their equipment, travel and food expenses out of his own pocket. In an interview to Noida's community radio station, Salaam Namaste, he said:

"I choose to train para athletes because somehow I feel that coaches hardly pay attention to persons with disabilities. I encourage them to compete with normal athletes. Irrespective of whether an athlete is blind or not, all of them should train together."

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Para-sports (short for 'parallel sports') have allowed hundreds of people with disabilities to take control of their lives, giving them economic freedom and respect in a society that generally looks down on the physically-challenged. From a small gathering of injured British World War II veterans in 1948, Paralympics has grown into one of the largest international sporting events in the world today. The Para Games are exciting, entertaining and a celebration of disabled people’s talents and strength. And the Rio Paralympics, which start today, promise to be just this and more.

At the Rio Paralympics 2016, the world will be closely following the achievements of the competitors and cheering them on. India will be represented at the event by a contingent of 19 athletes, comprising 3 women and 16 men, the largest-ever sent from the country.

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Raring to bring laurels to the nation, the talented squad will participate in nine different events, which include swimming, high jump, discus throw, running, and javelin throw, among others. In a fine gesture, the Sports Ministry has announced that medallists from the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro will be given cash awards at par with the medal winners of last month's Olympic Games.

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Also Read: Indian Paralympic Medalists to Get Prize Money Equal to Winners at Olympics: Sports Ministry

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Here's everything you need to know about Team India's 19 incredible sportsmen and sportswomen who redefine the boundaries of possibility with their spirit and performances.

1. Amit Kumar Saroha - Club throw

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The 31-year-old Amit Kumar Saroha, who has one Para Asian Games gold and two silvers under his belt, is one of India’s most decorated para athletes. A road accident at the age of 22 left him with severe spinal injuries, tragically making him a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair. But Amit, a former junior national hockey player, was not willing to let fate have the final say. He soon found his calling in para-sports, especially in discus and club throw. He then went on to dish out a series of medal-winning performances at international events. At Rio Paralympics, the Haryana lad will be competing in the F51 category of the Club Throw event.

2. Devendra Jhajaria - Javelin throw

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India’s most successful Paralympic Games athlete, 35-year-old Devendra Jhajharia, will be competing in the javelin throw event at the 2016 Paralympic Games. The one-armed thrower from Rajasthan's Churu district, who became India’s first individual Paralympic gold medallist at the Athens Games in 2004, couldn’t compete in the next two Paralympics because his category F46 (for athletes with unilateral upper limb impairment) was not included. Devendra's arm had to be amputated after a severe electric shock at the age of eight. His success as a javelin thrower - made tougher against the backdrop of financial disabilities - is testament to his willpower and physical prowess. The former Indian Railways staffer, who also set a world record with a javelin throw of 62.15m at Athens, booked his berth at the Rio Paralympics after clinching the silver medal at the IPC Athletics World Championships in 2015.

3. Mariyappan Thangavelu - High jump

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In March this year, when Mariyappan Thangavelu cleared a distance of 1.78m in the men's high jump T42 event at the IPC Grand Prix in Tunisia, he won the gold medal and comfortably achieved the A-Qualification Standard of 1.60 for the Rio Paralympics. The fact that the silver medal winner at the World Championships also jumped a distance of 1.78m has given the 20-year-old Tamil Nadu lad belief that he has a real shot at a medal in Rio. Mariyappan was five when an accident in his village of Periavadagampatti, some 50km from Salem, left him with a permanent disability. A bus ran over his right leg, crushing it below the knee and leaving it stunted for life. Never seeing himself as different from able-bodied kids, he continued to participate in competitive sports. In 2013, his current coach Satyanarayana first spotted him at the National Para-Athletics Championships and two years later took him under his wing, bringing him to Bengaluru to train for Rio.

4. Sunder Singh Gujjar - Javelin throw

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Para-athlete Sunder Singh Gujjar has braved odds with a smile. The 20-year -old javelin thrower did not just clinch the Rio Olympic berth, he showed how determined he was to win a Rio medal by creating a national record of a 68.42m throw, breaking Devendra's world record by 6m, during the 16th Para-Athletics National Championships in Panchkula. Till November 2015, Sunder was competing in the general category and even won a junior national gold. But then he lost his left hand in an accident. Encouraged by coach R D Singh, who also paid Sunder's expenses for the qualifying event from his own pocket, Sunder didn't let his injury stop him from pursuing his Olympic dream. Today, he is a bright medal prospect for India at the Rio Paralympics.

5. Dharambir Nain - Club Throw

Hailing from Sonepat in Haryana, 27-year-old Dharambir Nain is a Paralympic club thrower competing in the F-51 category. Dharambir's  life changed when, while attempting to dive into water, he misjudged the depth and accidentally crashed into the underlying rocks of the water body. The result was complete paralysis below the waist. Dharambir became familiar with para sports in 2014 and took to Club Throw under the guidance of his mentor and fellow para athlete Amit Kumar Saroha. Within a span of just two years, Dharambir improved tremendously, first securing the ‘A’ qualification mark at the 2016 Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai and then subsequently confirming his qualification for the 2016 Paralympic Games by virtue of an improved performance at the Selection Trials conducted by the Sports Authority of India in July this year. Incidentally, Dharambir will be representing India at Rio in the same event as his mentor and coach Amit Saroha.

6. Deepa Malik - Shotput

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An army man's wife, mother of two, a restaurateur with a social cause, a former beauty queen, an accomplished swimmer, an adventure sportsperson, and a biker – 47- year-old Deepa Malik wears a multitude of hats and firmly refuses to let any conversation veer to sympathy that her disability often attracts. At Rio, she is bidding to get India its first medal in Paralympics shot put. A spinal tumour, followed by three tumour surgeries and 183 stitches between her shoulder blades, left Deepa paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair in 1999. Not willing to spend the rest of her life in a closed room, this fighter decided to chase her dreams despite her condition. She became the first female athlete to represent India at the Paralympics since the country’s debut at the Games in 1968. Deepa won the Arjuna Award in 2012 for her performance in swimming. She has 54 national gold medals and 13 international medals in various sports, including swimming, javelin throw and shot put.

7. Karamjyoti Dalal - Discus Throw

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Though 28-year-old Karamjyoti Dalal didn't win a medal at the recently concluded  IPC World Para-Athletics Championship (she came fourth), her meteoric rise from the bottom of the rankings to fighting for the top three positions in less than a year captured the imagination of the para-athletics fraternity. Originally a national level kabaddi player, Karamjyoti was forced to leave the sport after a fall from her terrace. Completely bed ridden for two years and diagnosed with paraplegia, it took her about two years to become thoroughly mobile on her wheelchair. She  first announced herself as a serious contender during the 2014 Asian Games, when she participated in the F-55 category for paraplegics and won two bronze medals. With every major event bringing out a world-class performance from her, this Haryana girl has rapidly graduated to being a force to reckon with.

8. Ankur Dhama - 1500m

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Ankur Dhama will become the first blind Indian athlete to participate at the Paralympics when he competes in the 1500m event at Rio. A resident of Baghpat village in Uttar Pradesh, Ankur started losing his vision gradually when he was 5 years old and, by the time he turned 6, Dhama’s eyesight had completely failed. Active in sports from a young age, he first heard about the para games for the differently abled from the Indian Blind Sports Association. He first competed internationally while still in school and since then has been consistently winning medals for the country in para races all over the world.The runner, who won the bronze and silver medals in 1500m and 800m respectively at the Para Asian Games in 2014, is looking forward to striking gold at the Paralympics and is certain that he will make a mark. Ankur will be competing in the Track 11 category for the completely blind at Rio.

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You May Like: Meet Blind Athlete Ankur Dhama, One of India’s Foremost Medal Hopes at the Rio Paralympics

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9. Farman Basha- Powerlifting

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Arjuna Award recipient Farman Basha is not a household name. This despite the fact that the Paralympic powerlifter has represented India at various major events, including three Paralympics, across the globe in the last 16 years. Undeterred, Farman, the only athlete from Karnataka at the 2016 Games, is all set to represent the country yet again in Rio. The seventh of 12 children, tragedy struck Farman at a young age when he became polio-afflicted as a toddler. But far from letting his condition dictate his life, Farman persevered and worked his way up, developing an interest in hitting the gym and, later, in power lifting. His efforts paid off when, in 1998, he set a new national record in the selection trial for 49 kg powerlifting and even won a gold medal. In fact, such has been his prowess in the sport that Farman has competed and won medals even at competitions meant for able-bodied athletes. Never one to give up, the 42-year-old is hoping to make the country proud in Rio.

10. Rinku Hooda- Javelin Throw

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Originally from Rohtak in Haryana,  17-year-old Indian para javelin thrower Rinku Hooda is the youngest athlete in the Indian contingent. As a young boy, Rinku lost his left arm in an accident involving a fan blade. A natural in sports,  Rinku was introduced to javelin throwing by fellow Indian para athlete Amit Kumar Saroha; he relocated to the Sports Authority of India in Sonepat so that he could continue his training there. At the 2016 IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Switzerland, Rinku recorded the 'A' mark for Rio. Still only 17 and facing the prospect of a selection trial against more established competitors to confirm his qualification for Rio, Rinku sprang a surprise and became one of five Indian javelin throwers from India to secure qualification for the 2016 Paralympic Games. The aspiring para-champion competes in the F-46 category for javelin throw.

11. Narendra Ranbir - Javelin Throw

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Another member of the Indian Paralympic Javelin Throw squad, Narendra Ranbir will be competing in the F42 and F44 events at Rio. Born to a farming family near Sonepat in Haryana, Narender lost his parents in an accident when he was 3 years old and was almost entirely brought up by his grandmother. Narender has had a deformity in his left leg since birth. Initially a runner, Narender had to give up athletics due to chronic back problems. His passion for sport saw him quickly switch to javelin throw and he has not looked back since. After taking to javelin throw, Narender has been consistently performing at the highest level. He finished 6th at the London Paralympics in 2012, after which he narrowly missed out on a medal at the World Championships in Lyon, finishing 4th. Narender's best performance came at the Para Asian Games in 2014 at Incheon where he clinched the silver medal. This hard-working athlete is one of India's top medal prospects at the Rio Paralympics.

12. Suyash Narayan Jadhav - Swimming

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Fifteen years after a tragic mishap left him a double arm amputee, Maharashtra's Suyash Jadhav has his eyes locked on winning India its first Paralympic medal in swimming. The only Indian swimmer to qualify for the Rio Paralympics, the 22-year-old will be competing in the S7 category of the 50m butterfly event. The son of a national level swimmer, Suyash wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and started swimming at a young age in his native Solapur. However, tragedy struck when an 11-year-old Suyash touched a loose electric wire and received a massive electric shock, which resulted in both hands being amputated just short of his elbow. Suyash sealed his berth for the Rio Paralympics (his first Paralympics) with an 'A' qualifying mark this year. Prior to that, his major success in the pool was when he won a silver medal at the IWAS World Games in Russia in 2015 and gold at the Winter Open Polish Championships in his favourite event, the 50m butterfly.

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13. Virender Dhankar - Shotput, Javelin Throw

The current world no. 1 in Javelin F57 category and world no. 5 in Shotput F57, Virender Dhankar was one of the athletes to secure a late berth at Rio 2016 following the disqualification of Russia. The only athlete to participate in two events at the Rio Paralympics, army man Virender made India proud by bagging a gold medal in the World Army Games in South Korea in 2015. Virender was also a top kabaddi player before an accident in 2004 resulted in the amputation of his right leg. He then started pursuing para sports seriously, especially shot put and javelin throw, in 2014. The 32-year-old from Haryana is a four-time national champion and his next target is getting a medal at the Rio Paralympics.

14. Rampal Chahar - High Jump

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A resident of a remote village beyond Sonepat in Haryana, 26-year-old Rampal Chahar will be competing in the T 46 category of Para High Jump at Rio. At the tender age of 4, Rampal met an unfortunate accident when his arm got caught in an agricultural chopper, resulting in partial below-elbow amputation of his right arm. Always a sports enthusiast, Rampal pursued sports in school and college, often training in high jump and casually competing with other able bodied athletes. Rampal’s life changed when he met fellow para-athlete Amit Saroha, who introduced him to the world of para sports. In 2013, after having worked at a regular job and while pursuing sports in parallel, he quit his job to pursue high jump full time. He soon went on to break a national record. In 2016, Rampal took part in his very first international tournament at the IPC Grand Prix in Tunisia, winning the gold medal with a jump of 1.85m that comfortably surpassed the ‘A’ qualification for Rio 2016, which stands at 1.65m.

15. Sandeep - Javelin Throw

Gold medallist at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix, Sandeep will be competing in F44 (for athletes who have a single below knee amputation or who can walk with moderately reduced function in one or both legs) category of Javelin Throw at the Rio Paralympics. A resident of New Delhi, Sandeep comes from a family of daily wage earners. The 20-year-old suffered a severely broken hip in a near fatal car accident. He didn't give up his love for sports despite the excruciating pain he suffers during training. He started training for javelin throw in the year 2014 and has since made big strides in the sport to qualify for Rio 2016. Currently World No. 2 in his category, he will be aiming for the gold at Rio.

16. Sharad Kumar - High Jump

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Para high-jumper Sharad Kumar won a gold medal in the F42 high jump at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon, Korea and has since been aiming to win the gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. The 24-year-old high jumper from India was diagnosed with polio mellitus which caused the paralysis of his left leg at the age of just two. Undeterred, he took up high jump at his chosen sport when he was still studying in St. Paul's School in Darjeeling, India and went on to make his international debut in 2010 at the Asian Para Games in Guangzhou. Feeling good after winning the high-jump title in the Malaysian Open Para-Athletics Championship, Sharad had his eyes set on being a part of the 2012 London Olympics. But an unfortunate ban due to allegations of doping forced him out of the competition for two years. Sharad returned with a bang in the 2014 Para Asian Games at Incheon, winning the gold medal in high jump and also breaking a 12-year Asian Games record. Having qualified for the Rio Paralympics, he is all set to chase the gold at the Games.

17. Pooja Rani - Archery

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Born in Rohtak, Haryana, 25-year-old Pooja Rani will be hoping to follow in Sakhsi Malik's footsteps when she competes at the Rio Paralympics 2016. The daughter of a rag seller, Pooja is from a humble background and was diagnosed with poliomyelitis during childhood. Pooja gradually became interest in para sports, especially shooting. However, with no infrastructure available for the sport of shooting in her hometown, Pooja chose to pursue her interest in archery instead and picked up the sport in 2013. Pooja found it difficult to afford the expensive recurve archery equipment on her own, but her coach Sanjay Suhag stepped in to arrange the basic equipment. The step paid off when, in 2016, Pooja won her first major medal at the National Para Archery Tournament in Rohtak and followed that up with a 5th place finish at the World Ranking Tournament in the Czech Republic. The latter performance secured her qualification for the Paralympics where she is the lone Indian participant in the recurve archery event.

18. Naresh Kumar Sharma - Shooting

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Participating in his fifth Paralympics, Naresh Kumar Sharma is often called the grand old man of India's Paralympics campaign. He has featured in every Paralympics since 1996, missing out only in Athens 2004. Naresh contracted polio at a tender age but he overcame his disability through sheer courage, determination and his mother's support. He became a shooter and today has more than 60 medals to his credit in the rifle shooting category. The veteran rifle shooter is also the first para athlete from India to grab a quota for 2016 Rio Paralympics with a 12th place finish in men's 50m rifle three position at the IPC Shooting World Cup at Fort Benning, USA. He had also narrowly missed out on a medal at the Beijing Games, where he finished fifth. Naresh will be looking to end his career with a podium finish in Rio and will expect his experience to work in his favour. He will be competing in the SH11 disability category.

19. Varun Singh Bhati - High Jump

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One of India’s best high jumpers, Varun Singh Bhati suffers from a deformity in one leg as a result of contracting polio as a child. Despite the deformity, Varun took to sports in his school days and went on to compete internationally, consistently getting better at high jump since then. He will be competing at Rio in the F42 category. Varun registered with the 'A' qualification mark for the 2012 Paralympics in London, with a performance of 1.60m, but failed to make the cut to London 2012. He stood 5th at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon, (Korea) and won a gold medal at the 2014 China Open Athletics Championship in the same year. He also became India’s leading jumper when  he recorded a jump of 1.82m at the 2016 IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships, winning the gold and setting a new Asian record. The 21-year old high jumper from Uttar Pradesh is among the shining stars of the 19-member Indian contingent that has travelled to Rio de Janeiro and is the number two ranked athlete in his category. The Olympics may be done and dusted but another Indian contingent is off to Brazil again, hoping to do better. Here's wishing them all the very best!

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Also Read:  16-Year-Old Gurgaon Boy Develops Amazing App to Help Indian Paralympians in Rio

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Shristi Sharma, a 12-year-old girl from Nagpur's Centre Point School, has created history by limbo skating on ice and entering the Limca Book of World Records. On September 9, at the iSkate rink in Gurgaon, Shristi made history by  ice skating for 10 metres under 11 bars placed a metre apart at a height of 33 centimetres from the ground. Her name will be entered in the Limca Book of World Records for being the only person to accomplish such a feat.

Shristi, who has several medals in roller skating and also owns a Guinness World Record (2015) in limbo roller skating, started ice skating only one month ago.

[caption id="attachment_68026" align="aligncenter" width="1100"] Shristi has won several limbo roller skating medals.[/caption]

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She practised for three hours a day before making her record-creating limbo ice skating attempt in Gurgaon. Shristi's 15-year-old sister Siddhi is also a sportswoman, an accomplished roller hockey player who has played at the national level. Their father, Dharmendra Sharma, works as a driver with Coal India. He and his wife have always encouraged both daughters to pursue sports and follow their interests. Speaking of Shristi's accomplishment, he told The Times of India: "She saw people roller skating on a TV show, and asked, 'If they can do it, why can't I?'" This talented young girl also campaigns actively for 'Save the Girl Child.'

Meet Shahira, a 22-year-old who is currently battling a spine injury and poverty to fulfil her dreams of becoming a world champion in cycling. This is how. Shahira Attar was only 15 when she took up cycling as a passion and a profession. Back home, her uncle Usman Attar was a national-level cyclist and going with him to various events had inspired Shahira since childhood. Not only did he motivate her to take up the sport, but also used to train her in the beginning. The two-wheeler became her best friend and also her ride on the road towards a bright future where all her dreams would come true. She started participating in state-levels events and winning became a habit. Four years ago she bagged the silver medal at the 17th National Road Cycling Championship held in Muzzafarpur, Bihar. This was followed by other national level events held in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Today, the 22-year-old is a national-level cyclist and has 20 medals in her name.

But what started as a journey towards a successful career had to come to long pause ever since Shahira met with an accident that cost her lots more than just hospital bills. "During a state-level event in Belgaum, two people ran over me on a bike," she remembers. The accident led to a severe spine injury and the surgery involved getting a rod inserted in her spine. Shahira was bedridden for four months after that and it has been difficult for her mother to pay for her treatment and medicines.

Shahira lives in a small shed with a tin roof in Almatti village of Vijayapura district in Karnataka, with her five siblings and her mother. After her father passed away when she was young, her mother had to start working as a farm labourer. In situations like these, her uncle had to take a loan of Rs. 2 lakh to meet the hospital expenses after her accident.

But be it poverty or injury, nothing could come between Shahira and her dream of becoming a world cycling champion. "I am walking now and in two months I want to hop back on the cycle and start again," says the confident cyclist. She is currently recovering but needs at least a year’s rest and regular treatment before she can go back to cycling professionally. Recently, Vikram Kamath, a student at Carnegie Mellon University, came to know about her from a news report. He was extremely touched by her condition and started a fundraising campaign to help her. "I think the money will help her mother more because she is in debt due to Shahira's injury. She has hospital bills to take care of so this may help her pay those. Shahira also expressed interest in learning English and I suggested she uses some of the money to attend spoken English classes. The financial support could help her recover and go further in her sports career. She's from a small town in Karnataka and her success may inspire others around her," he says. You can help Shahira start cycling again. Donate here.

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From being considered a 'weak' team to becoming an internationally renown team, the story of Indian cricket in 4 short minutes! Cricket. It has always been a part of the Indian way of life. But how many of us know how it came to India? Or how it grew? Or of the legends it created, even before Dhoni, Sachin or Kapil? 'Know About India'  by Mypromovideos is a series of videos that center around little-known important facts about India. 'Indian Cricket - Birth of a Religion' is the latest edition in this series of videos . And this particular video packs the long, rich and colorful history of Indian Cricket into a few minutes of entertainment.   It takes us through the evolution of cricket in India, right from the time the British set foot in our country. And speaks of the peculiarities of the Victorian era, especially among the Maharajas and upper-class British.

In a light hearted-manner, the video also hints at the prevailing caste and religious divisions, and how one game changed it all.

[caption id="attachment_69119" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Indians united by Cricket[/caption] By looking at the history of Indian cricket, we get a peek at Indian History itself. The culture of Cricket clubs, cricket tours, etc are all touched upon. The visuals are cartoonish, yet always loyal to the time period being discussed.

Particularly cute are the caricatures of the Indian Cricketing heroes.

[caption id="attachment_69120" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Indian Cricketing heroes[/caption] The video takes us right up to the point when Kapil Dev and his team lift the World Cup and leaves us with crowds chanting “Sachin, Sachin,"  a chant that still gives goosebumps to many and signifies the beginning of an era to any cricket fan.  

Watch the video here:

[embedvideo id="gPy8Uoi1YMU" website="youtube"]  

Transcript:

The most popular Indian pastime- no, not street food, not Bollywood, not bargaining...definitely not eve teasing! We're speaking of the most thrilling pastime of it all- Indian Cricket! They say it runs through our veins and know what, the history of this game is almost as fascinating as the game itself. Let's explore some of it together… Although we like to think that it began with gilli-danda, most historians agree that cricket, as we know it, came to India with English sailors in the 1700s. Of course, English, or rather, East India Company, were in India for (cough!) trade. Since the English played the game, all the important  English spots- Calcutta, Madras and Bombay became cricketing zones. Cricket clubs started getting formed all over the country. But the clubs were all-white clubs with a bunch of English playing against each other. Then slowly the wealthy Indians started playing the game. See, whatever the English did was cool back then, so if they played cricket, so would the other cool folks in India. The first to play with the English were the Parsis. They also became the first Indians to tour England.The Parsis and English were having  regular tournaments in Bombay. Not to be outdone, the Hindu Maharajas started forming their own teams. A Hindu cricketing club, "Bombay Union," was formed in...Bombay. So now we had a triangular series in Bombay. Hindu cricketers sorted themselves along the lines of caste and region of origin. Now, of course, Muslims too wanted to compete, making it the Bombay Quadrangular series. But even then, many sections of  Indians were left out in this communal cricket. So all the others joined as a group called  "The Rest." Thus we had the Bombay Pentangular series! See, cricket had a lot of drama even before IPL! Gradually some Europeans started touring India. Popularity of the game grew. Meanwhile, two Indians Ranjitsinghji and Duleepsinhji  were proving themselves to be cricketers of great merit in England. Now, both of these wonderful cricketers played for England. Then, in 1932,  led by C.K. Nayudu, India made its test debut in England. But from there till around 1950s, we were still considered a “weak” team. Although domestically, we were gearing up for better days- BCCI was formed, Ranji trophy was started. 1952 saw two landmark victories for us- the first test victory against England and the first series victory against Pakistan. In the coming years, we were considered a force to be reckoned with on home territory. We had legends like Tiger Pataudi, Bishan Singh Bedi, EAS Prasanna, Gundappa Viswanath and many others. In the 1970s something interesting was happening in world of global cricket, it was transitioning from test matches to One Day cricket. And we were finding it a bit tough to go with the new trend. This too was about to change. 1980's brought Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kris Srikkanth, Madan Lal and a wave of cricketing masters we worship today. India was becoming good at the game. Still, in 1983, West Indies were the thought to be the best team. We were nowhere close. So just imagine the thrill when Kapil and team lifted the World Cup defeating the mighty West Indies! It was the most spectacular, most memorable event ever. The whole nation went bonkers! Cricket in India had finally arrived. And the rest, as they say, is an oft repeated and cherished history! To learn more about the initiative, click here.

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Tenith Adithyaa, an 18-year-old innovator has written an open letter to  the Prime Minister talking about the crucial steps that can help improve the condition of sports in India, and how he wants to contribute.   Honourable Prime Minister of India, SUB: Olympic voice of an 18-year-old teen I am Tenith Adithyaa M, an 18-year-old student pursuing Computer Science and Engineering at SVS College of Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. I am a young inventor and the first innovation scholar of India, having created 19 inventions and received 16 international awards. I remained convinced and content as a perfect citizen of India till the recent Olympics at Rio. A month has elapsed since the closing ceremony of the Rio Olympics. During this time I have started feeling duty-deficient as an Indian. We have the fourth largest defence force on the planet, and we were at the 67th place in Olympics. I am feeling crestfallen. I am not critical about the performance of our participants and I have deep respect for their achievements despite all the external hitches.

But these achievements are too little for a country with over a billion people.

I have spoken to many fellow Indians who tell me that our government should support and provide more facilities to our sports persons. By the term India we not only mean the land mass extending from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari and by the term government we not only mean the honourable leaders and learned bureaucrats of this great country. It represents the 1.252 billion citizens of this country and I am one among them. In my opinion, there is much more to be done than just the government backing elite Indian athletes. After Rio, I began introspecting, “Why am I so saddened about Rio Olympics? What have I done for sports in India? I have done nothing for those sports persons who have worked so hard achieve this glory and represent our country on the global stage." I want our sports persons to feel the same sense of pride and delight that I feel when hoisting our flag after winning an international award in a global arena. I want them to feel this during the Tokyo Olympics of 2020. Former Honourable President Dr. Abdul Kalam and our Honourable President of India Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, both legendary personalities, have told me, “Our country needs you, young man.” I had been feeling the same until now, and will continue to do so in the future. As a youngster, from my own knowledge and experience, I state the truth that support for talent in India at the grassroots is heart-breaking and the exposure to sports at schools and colleges is dismal. Our country’s youth, including me, notice India’s sports performance only during the Olympics or Commonwealth games. I started my journey in science when I was eight; the ignition has to occur at a young age. Starting preparation a year or two before the Olympic Games is insufficient. We have to understand the reality at the ground level. To perform better at sports, we must start from the very beginning. Our country should definitely help in identifying and sustaining talent. A lot of resources have to be invested in identifying hidden talent across the country, not just for the 2020 Olympics, but also for the way beyond. We should initiate an incubation program called “India towards Olympics hunt” for sports on a wider scale that would enable youngsters to discover their talents. Under this initiative we can organise camps, training programs and contests across the nation to identify and nurture the right talent at a young age.

According to me, the key factors that can help save Indian sports are as follows:

· Grassroots level selection and development · Qualified infrastructure & strategic support system · Comprehensive planning & selection of sports · Youthful talent identification & sustainment · Sports prospects in education · Athletes’ economical protection · More efficient sports administration & accountability · Public contribution towards sports I am hereby donating “Rs. 5,000/- (Rupees Five Thousand Only”) which is the cash award I bagged in the International Engineering Expo held at Malaysia. I had saved this money to capitalize on my forthcoming world record attempt. Now I feel that I can secure that later, but my country is my priority. Every citizen is contributing to our country by paying taxes; I also do that. I am not expecting everyone in our country to contribute towards this initiative. The citizenry of this country is around 1.252 billion. With a humongous population, we have humongous abilities and infinite possibilities. We would need just Rs.100/- from every Indian to spend Rs. 100 crores on every athlete, which would amount to 5 times UK’s expenditure on an athlete. I am not expecting this from people who are incapacitated to make their ends meet. Being a student, I bear the contribution of about 50 citizens in this initiative.

I hope this initiative would turn the tide and reverse the medal table.

As the saying goes "As we sow, so shall we reap", we may harvest in Tokyo, a brighter future for sure in the long term. I am not sure where I should send my money, so I thought the prime minister would be the right person to make this a productive initiative. I hope this won’t go in vain as another funding vector or just a letter by a geeky teen. By this initiative, I am certain that our contribution will bear its fruits when our country marks the Olympic centenary participation. I hereby express my spirit of gratitude for patiently reading this long letter and spending your invaluable time. You can contact Tenith by writing to him at tenithadithyaa@yahoo.in

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Despite sending one of its largest ever contingents to the Rio Olympics, India could not perform as well as expected at the Games. Some reports claimed that this was due to a lack of funds and good training programmes. But there is one Bangalore based organisation called Athlete Socorre that is attempting to change this dismal scenario by providing athletes with skills to become successful sportspersons and Olympians. Anirban Chakraborty, the CEO of the organization, says there are more than 1.25 billion people in India under the age of 25. And even though India has such immense potential in sports, not many of them take up sporting careers because of the lack of financial stability.

Athlete Socorre is trying to change this by identifying skilled athletes and facilitating their entry into international competitions.

Source: Facebook

Says Anirban,“ We launched an initiative called Aim for Gold, where we support athletes from every league and we attend to every need that they have – from psychological support to making sponsorship deals. We also scout for fresh talent. P.T Usha is one of the advisors on our team. With this initiative, we hope to back numerous budding athletes so they’ll be able to get more medals for India in the 2020 Olympics at Tokyo.”

The intention behind the Aim for Medal project is to take care of all the needs of potential Olympians – it exposes them to established coaches, provides mentorship programs with famous athletes, and dispenses information about nutrition, recovery, physiological training, and sports psychology.

It also takes care of housing, training facilities, food, media training, and the transportation of athletes to various competitions as well as ceremonies.

The work that this organisation does is unique because it is one of the few in India that helps athletes build a career in sports. “If someone wants to pursue a career in sports management or sports, we prepare a profile for them and we approach corporates and other interested agencies. We have a lot of enquiries coming in from people who have a background in engineering and are interested in a career in sports. We also conduct conventions and exhibitions to raise awareness and expose people to the various fields in sports,” says Anirban. The conventions are 3-day events organized across major cities in India, where leading sportspersons, potential athletes and other interested parties are provided with a space to discuss how they can succeed in the sports industry. Here, researchers are allowed to present their papers on sports analytics, sports performance, medicine, and nutrition. Exhibitions are offline marketing platforms where sports apparel and sports management companies can display their portfolios and products to prospective clients. One talented athlete that the organisation supports is 21-year-old cyclist Deborah Herold. Deborah is from the Andaman and Nicobar islands and has faced many challenges. During the tsunami of 2004, she had to cling to a coconut tree for more than 24 hours in order to survive. Anirban says, “We were really inspired by her will and commitment. We soon found that nobody is supporting her, despite the fact that she won n number of medals for the country. At the recent cycling tournament in the Track Asia Cup, she won two golds and one silver medal.” Deborah started cycling at the age of 16 and in five short years she has managed to be ranked at the 4th position in the world for the 500 metres track cycling event. Come November, she will represent India at the Union Cycliste Internationale World Track Cycling Championship. Despite all her achievements, Deborah couldn’t apply for the Rio Olympics because of lack of proper funding. But soon, she was approached by Athlete Socorre: “We took the initiative to run a campaign to support her because according to experts, cycling is all about the aerodynamics of the actual machine – the cycle. She and her coach told the Athlete Socorre team that to perform better and at least qualify for the Olympics, she would require a better cycle.” Apart from financial support and career counseling, Athlete Soccore also extends psychological support to the athletes through sports psychologists and mental health counselling. Anirban says, “Many of our Indian athletes couldn't perform that well (in Rio) because they were under immense psychological stress. We need to remind them that there is external support for them if they require it. A lot of potential medal winners just buckle under the stress because you need both physical and mental strength to perform well.” Speaking of the kind of hurdles that athletes face in competing and winning at the Olympics, Anirban says, “There is an initiative undertaken by the Government of India called the Top of the Podium. This initiative aims to provide some financial support to potential Olympians but the money reaches them very late and the process is very tedious. I spoke to some international Olympians and they can’t stress enough on providing athletes with some psychological support to help them perform on D-day. Our country has one of the best archers, Deepa Kumari, and despite this she couldn’t perform well in the Olympics because it is a very difficult competition, and stress levels are very high.” To support Athlete Socorre in addressing the needs of potential Olympians in India and to help Deborah win that much coveted gold medal at Tokyo, donate here.

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Not many of us would know much about a sport like fencing in India. A few others probably wouldn’t even have heard of it. For Bhavani Devi, the 22-year-old resident of Chennai who is India’s National Fencing Champion, it is more than a sport. She currently holds the 85th rank for fencing in the world. The sport is Bhavani’s passion and becoming a successful player is one of the most important goals in her life. But taking up a sport that is not so well known in a country is easier said than done. “When the whole country celebrates a victory, they need to realise that if they had supported and motivated budding talent, there would have been many more medals to be proud of,” she says.

As fate would have it, Bhavani missed being selected for this year’s Olympics by a whisker and secured the third position while representing the Asia Pacific region. She missed the first position because of several reasons – the lack of a regular, dedicated coach was one of them.

Source: Facebook

One of the biggest struggles that sports persons in India have to face is the conservative viewpoint of their families and the society at large. Policies with layers of bureaucratic processes add on the battle. A sports person climbing the ladder has to spend time wading through policies instead of focusing on training. So does Bhavani. For her fencing skills to match and surpass international standards, she needs to train with international coaches.

Bhavani is an incredible achiever who trains very hard in spite of the absence of a dedicated coach or a dedicated institute to train at.

She spends most of her time in Kerala, which has India’s only space for fencing practices. As the sport is not so popular here, it requires her to travel to training centres in France and Germany to sharpen her skills. While she manages to fund her training equipment and gets occasional sponsors for her trips, she needs her coach to be with her during the games and while training. To travel alone and face an opponent without moral or technical support is an added pressure she has to handle. But taking her coach along while for on-spot motivation and technical advice is a luxury she cannot afford. “I see other 180 fencers with their coaches and family. Because of the lack of funds, I just go and stand there on my own,” she says in a video. She has stories of missing out on opportunities as small as not being able to defend a penalty because she didn’t have a coach beside her.

Listen to her story here.

[embedvideo id="180475637" website="vimeo"] With our help to support her train better, we can empower the very talented Bhavani get closer to her goal. As a country, we need to stop dwelling on the ifs and buts, and focus on how we can help India’s only Fencing Champion clinch gold. Bhavani is raising funds for training. You can contribute here. Reach out to her by writing to reachbhavanidevi@gmail.com. - Trupti Menon

Featured image (left) for representation only. Source: Flickr

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Roshni discovered a love for running while in the middle of a heartbreak in 2003. Now she trains other runners and facilitates their entry into marathons. Her dream is for one of her team members to win an Olympic medal for India. Nearing the end of a gruelling running session, as she entered the stadium for the final leg, it was her parents who handed over the Indian flag to her.

She ran the last 200m of the 89 km long Comrades Marathon, shouting with all her might, “Jai Gorkha! Jai Hind!” This would become the motto of the foundation close to her heart: Run with Roshni.

Source: Facebook

Born in Pedong, in the Kalimpong district of Darjeeling, whenever Roshni would tell people that her mother tongue was Nepalese, people assumed that she was from Nepal. This identity crisis, she knew, was shared by many Gorkhas. Due to the annexation of some territories of Nepal into India by the British in the 19^th century, as well as the friendship treaty with Nepal in the last century, “people often mistake us to be migrants,” she said. “ But our ancestors were born in India and we can’t change our mother tongue,” Roshni added. As a proud Indian, she wanted to increase awareness about Gorkhas in India and help her fellow community members deal with their identity in their own motherland. It was at the ‘Self Expression and Leadership Programme’ by Landmark Education that she initiated the idea of using marathons to help underprivileged Gorkha kids come into the mainstream. “Running is very close to my heart. To make some difference in my community, I thought of starting the Run with Roshni project, through which we could highlight the issues our community was facing,” she said. But running wasn’t always Roshni’s hobby. It was only in 2003, when going through a heartbreak, that Roshni got up one fine morning and went for a run without giving it too much thought.

“At first, I was just running, crying, running, crying, and after some time I stopped crying and running only,” she said.

[caption id="attachment_70277" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Roshni Rai[/caption]

Source: Facebook

The experience helped Roshni beat her depression and fall in love with running. She moved to Mumbai in 2004 to pursue a Master’s degree in law, but her interest in running did not decline. She finally participated in the Mumbai Half-Marathon in January 2007 but, being unprepared physically, she was bedridden for the next 10 days. It was only later, when she started working as a legal executive at Colgate, that she met her coach Daniel Vaz and started to prepare for running more systematically. Since then, Roshni has participated in several marathons, including Prague International Marathon (2010), Comrades Marathon (2012), Maidenhead Half Marathon (2013), London Run to Beat (2014), and Tenzing Hillary Everest Half Marathon (2016). In 2015, she successfully completed Bangalore Ultra Marathon (100 kms), her longest distance. Run with Roshni started shaping up in August 2011. “In the initial stage, getting runners was a challenge for me and the second challenge was getting funds for them. But thankfully, through Facebook, I was able to contact many people who don’t know me personally but have read about Run with Roshni Foundation; they are helping me out with the money,” she says.

Roshni now holds the Kalimpong Marathon every year to select six top runners (boys and girls) who then participate in the Mumbai marathon.

[caption id="attachment_70278" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Roshni with some of the runners she has helped train[/caption]

Source: Facebook

“Darjeeling and Kalimpong are the perfect altitude for producing good runners,” she says. Although she considers training crucial, she believes that these runners have a natural talent, which needs a little honing. Her coach helps her by devising a training module, which she passes on to the team. The Foundation has supported over 30 runners who have participated in close to 14 different marathons with the help of charity bibs and sponsorships. For the Hyderabad Marathon 2013, her team’s runners had to walk 75 kms to reach the railway station due to a strike in Darjeeling. On hearing of this, Nike supported the runners by gifting shoes to all the 15 members. Some of her runners have now been recruited by the Indian Army. Roshni was also part of a Mumbai Runner Girls group but a busy schedule means she now concentrates on her Foundation more. Leaving her job in 2014, Roshni wrote her autobiography From Mountains to the Ocean, detailing her journey and experiences and sharing the vision of her Foundation.

Roshni believes, “Anyone at any age and weight can pick up running…give yourself some time and be consistent with the training.”

[caption id="attachment_70279" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Runners of all ages[/caption]

Source: Facebook

She recalls that in 2013, after running the 89 km marathon in the previous year, she considered the 21 km run at Maidenhead marathon a holiday until an older lady around the 14 km mark was about to overtake her. It was at that moment, she says, that she was inspired by the passion of this older woman and decided that she, a 33-year-old, wouldn’t let a lady twice her age go past her. “She really inspired me and I thought at the age of 65 even I would want to run strong like her.” Mumbai International Marathon is a big event for Run with Roshni, for the certification it provides as an international marathon. In the future, Roshni wants her team members to gain exposure, training and eventually win an Olympic medal. She says that the Gorkhas in the army, as the first line of defence, have sacrificed a number of their sons; now is the time for Gorkhas to have the national flag on their shoulders rather than on their chests. As she gave this interview to TBI, Roshni was preparing for yet another marathon with her team members and, waiting for her in the reception area, was a friend who had arranged six pairs of shoes for the members. If you would like to contribute towards the Run for Roshni Foundation, please get in touch with Roshni Rai at runwithroshni@gmail.com or check out her Facebook page for more. (Written by Anjali Shrivastava)

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Para rifle-shooter Sidhartha Babu speaks to The Better India about what it takes to become a national record-holding shooting champion. Sidhartha Babu talks about shooting the way Sun Tzu would speak about war. There is so much deliberation and thought behind each word he uses to describe this sport that one wonders what it might be like to actually watch him in action. His fascination with rifles began pretty early in his life; as a child he would make fake guns out of plastic. As an adult he began practising kickboxing, Thai martial arts and won several prizes in karate. This Black Belt even became a professional instructor at Jawahar Bal Bhavan in Kerala. But his life took a drastic turn in July 2002 when he was thrown off his motorbike in an accident, leaving him a paraplegic.

The outdoorsy man was left bedridden for almost a year but, even during this time, he made sure he was constantly in touch with shooting – by making a crossbow in his hospital room.

“Me and a friend who was also paralysed and stuck made this crossbow. We asked the hospital staff to cut off a particular branch of a tree which looked like a crossbow stock with a nice pistol grip, and we made a cross bow out of it. We made trigger mechanism and arrows with metal head using whatever tools and materials we could find in the hospital. My friend would open his room door which was opposite mine so we could have more distance to the target. When the nurses would visit us, they’d yell at us to not shoot any more arrows,” he chuckles as he reminisces. By the time he got back home, he had had enough time to think deeply about what he wanted to do. He decided to pursue a computer applications course at the College of Engineering in Trivandrum and secured a job soon after. But his thirst to do better or “to do what society doesn’t project at you” took over and he began target shooting. He started practising at home and would use up at least 100 air rifle pellets every day. When Sidhartha approached the District Rifle Association in Idukki, he was initially denied entry. Later, when the authorities there asked him to shoot with a pistol, he refused because he only used a rifle. He finally hit bull’s eye while shooting lying down and was soon admitted into the club. Despite having no formal training or even a coach, Sidhartha went on to win numerous state and national-level shooting championships. He says, “The fact of the matter is that I’m still looking for a coach. I’ve managed all this because I happen to be very driven. But I think having a coach, mental health experts and a team to back you up is really important, especially for international events.” Sidhartha has participated multiple times in the National Shooting Championship under the general category. Despite this, in 2015, the National Rifle Association of India did not permit him to participate in the National Games because of the technical difficulty in the shooting rules to accommodate an out of the rule equipment, in this case the wheelchair. He says, “I was definitely disheartened because I got this information very late, few weeks before the competition and it was shocking that nobody raised such a problem in the past years or refunded the money spent on registering under both the general and para shooting category. And they also told me that letting me participate in earlier events was a mistake. But without waiting for a single day I decided to leave the wheelchair and shoot like mainstream shooters.” But his recent achievement of being the Kerala Shooting Champion at an event organised by the Kerala State Rifle Association, while competing against able-bodied athletes, means that he can participate in any shooting event under the general category. He has been practising shooting while lying down for around a year and it is really challenging. He says, “It took backbreaking effort to get where I am." The shooter has requested the government to send him abroad for international training so he can represent the country at the 2020 Paralympics. He says, “I need to participate and win medals in international events to be eligible for the Paralympics.” Sidhartha does feel there is a lack of support on the part of various sports organisations in the country that are supposed to propel Indian athletes to greater heights. He says, “For the first time in the history of Indian sport, after a disappointing performance at the Olympics, the National Rifle Association issued an enquiry to understand why we failed. Abhinav Bindra, who not only won the first individual Olympic gold medal for India in shooting but is also trained in sports psychology, headed the committee. He formed a committee to understand how to improve sports infrastructure and they submitted a report few days ago. It is a comprehensive guide for how sports bodies in India can function optimally and I think both athletes as well as sports organisations should definitely read it.” To read the report, click here.

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In their modest homes in Dharamsala, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, young Tibetan girls prepare their bags for a football camp while their mothers make tea. One of them is 20-year-old Lhamo Kyi whose dream is to one day play football in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Tibetans may not have a country, but they have a national women's soccer team, thanks to 34-year-old American high school teacher, Cassie Childers.

[caption id="attachment_71742" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Tibet Women's Soccer team (left) and Cassie Childers (right)[/caption] For the young refugee women of the Tibetan Women's Soccer team (soccer is another name for football), also known as the Snow Lionesses, the sport is more than just a recreational activity. It is a way for them to fight for gender equality, and use the sport as a tool to represent their homeland. [caption id="attachment_71727" align="aligncenter" width="621"] A Tibetan girl in Dharamshala playing football[/caption] A high school teacher from New Jersey and a lifelong soccer fan, Cassie first visited Dharamsala— a place where much of the Tibet's exiled refugee diaspora lives — as a tourist. Moved by their struggles, Cassie continued to visit the Tibetan community in India whenever she had time for a holiday. It was during one of those holidays, in 2010, that the idea of Tibet Women's Football was born. Upon noticing that there were no female football teams in the exiled Tibetan community, Cassie decided to work full time to create a football program for Tibetan girls. Speaking to The Better India, Cassie says,

"During my many stays in Dharamshala, I became aware of some of the gender issues in Tibetan society, including the existence of a men's football program while there was no program for women. I decided to start a women's team that could address gender disparities and create opportunities for Tibetan women to engage in sports diplomacy at the same time. Exactly one year later I had resigned from my teaching position and moved to India to start the program."

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In the summer of 2012, the team of young Tibetan girls walked onto the football pitch for the first time to play a match in the Gyalyum Chemo Memorial Gold Cup. Many of them were born inside Tibet and had walked with their parents across the Himalayas to escape Chinese rule. Most of the team members had never kicked a football before their one-month training for this tournament, and no one among the 5000-odd Tibetan spectators expected them to do anything memorable. Most people in the stadium were laughing at the thought of girls playing football. However, this was soon to change.

A few minutes into the second half, the questions about the team’s credibility seemed to fade -  Lhamo Kyi had scored the first goal in the history of Tibetan women’s soccer.

[caption id="attachment_71729" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Lhamo Kyi[/caption] Describing the historic moment, Cassie says,

"This girl kicked the ball in the net and then ran into the middle of the ground and did a flip in celebration. And, at that very moment, you could feel the gender paradigm of the entire nation begin to shift, and from that moment forward, I knew we could become a force to be reckoned with."

The Tibet Women's Soccer programme started receiving support from both within and outside the community, and was soon experiencing commendable results on and off the field. For the young women of the team, the initiative proved to be a game-changer. Each one of them has an amazing story, but perhaps the most dramatic one is that of Lhamo Kyi. Lhamo Kyi first came to the program in 2011, a shy and awkward school girl who would scarcely speak. A month later, she had emerged as a natural leader and was elected the team captain by her peers. Just a week after the camp ended, the 15-year-old made the brave decision to leave school and embark on a peace march from Dharamsala back to her home in Tibet. After a long, exhausting journey, Lhamo (along with her mother and brother) made it all the way to the Nepal border, where they were treated badly and thrown back into India by border guards. Her brother, Tsetan Dorjee, was detained by the Nepali authorities and has not been heard from since. A heartbroken Lhamo Kyi returned to Dharamsala with her mother, determined to find a way to help her country. One week later, she led the Tibetan Women's Soccer (TWS) team into the stadium for their first match, wearing her nation's flag proudly on her sleeve. Playing as the captain of the team, Lhamo scored the first goal in the history of Tibet women's football in this match. Now, almost five years later, Lhamo Kyi has enrolled in India's top physical education university, and is slated to become Tibet's first female sports coach. The young girl has emerged as a role model in her society, and is leading by example. Lhamo and her fellow team members know how important this platform is for both, their fellow Tibetan women as well as their nation. A sense of responsibility and commitment, removed from the hype of professional football, infuses the discussions of these girls. As Cassie says,

"For them, TWS is more than a football team — it’s about unity, it’s about politics, and it is also about raising your own voice."

When it comes to performance on the field, the Snow Lionesses have managed to hold their ground against various district and state outfits in India over the years.

[caption id="attachment_71735" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Team members at a practice session[/caption] In 2014, the team lifted the title at the Imphal Ladies' Spring Football festival in Manipur. More recently, in 2015, a seven-member delegation visited Berlin in Germany to take part in the Discover Football International Football Festival, its first ever international tour. Describing it as a memorable milestone in Tibetan Women Soccer's journey, Cassie says,

"Understanding the implications of this politically, we kept the trip secret until we arrived there in Berlin, which was why the Chinese team had no idea that we would be there. As Tibetans, the girls had a natural disdain for China, who invaded their country in the 1950s and who has caused so much pain and suffering for them and their families. However, they also realized the power that was contained in this opportunity  - the power to bridge divides and make a headway in the Tibetan cause - at a human level. The team was waiting when the bus carrying the Chinese team pulled up at the stadium, and our brave young players ran over to greet them, embracing them and speaking to them in Chinese so that they would understand. During the course of the week, the Chinese and Tibetan teams interacted and played football together, forming friendships and sharing their stories. These players became the first Tibetan women to represent their country abroad in a sporting match, and the first Tibetan athletes of any sex to meet Chinese athletes in a competition post invasion."

The Tibetan women players' participation in the Berlin event brought the world's attention to the Tibet Women's Soccer initiative and the work it was doing.

[caption id="attachment_71733" align="aligncenter" width="960"] The Tibet Women's Soccer Team at Berlin[/caption] However, it hasn't been an easy journey. After all, change is never easily won in society. The main challenge the team faced came from within the Tibetan community itself - many individuals denounced and tried to shut down the initiative, outrightly saying that football was not important for girls. However, the players didn't give up and struggled to prove themselves. They knew that every time one of them went onto the pitch to play, it was reinforcing the idea that women are capable of doing anything a man can do, something that was not necessarily accepted in their society. Each time they succeeded, it brought the next generation one step closer to gender equality.

"Football empowers Tibetan women on many different levels. Most of our players are semi-orphans in exile, with very little support from their families back in Tibet. The team has become a family to them - a place where they feel safe, accepted, and loved. TWS doesn't just provide training in football - we also conduct workshops in leadership, communication, gender study, and confidence building at all of our camps - and this has paid off big time in just a few years," Cassie told TBI. "Today, the girls love playing football. They are braver, more confident, and hold themselves with more self-respect."

Cassie's next aim is to make the sport accessible to every Tibetan girl living in exile in India through TWS's grassroots development initiatives.

[caption id="attachment_71741" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Cassie Childers with Irshal Ishu, the director of a documentary on Tibetan Women’s Football, 'Kicking Boundaries'[/caption] At the same time, the senior team will engage in a more competitive football environment, hoping to achieve full recognition by FIFA (the international governing body of football) and to eventually reach the very highest level of the game, the World Cup and the Olympics.

FIFA currently recognizes 23 non-sovereign entities (including Palestine and Hong Kong) as football teams but refuses to recognize Tibet. Pressure from the Chinese government has influenced their recent decisions in the past few years. Cassie feels that as the political situation with China remains at a stalemate, sport has the potential to inspire awareness and dialogue for the Tibetan cause in ways that politics can't.

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Tibet Women's Soccer's growth has so far been quite commendable, and as it aims to go international (under FIFA) in the future, it could play an important role in drawing the world's attention to the Tibetan cause. On a brighter note, times are changing and team members have started training other exiled refugee girls in distant villages. All these young women dream about playing for their beloved homeland that lies across the mountains that they see everyday. And thanks to Cassie Childers, they can one day fulfill these dreams. Here's how you can support and help the Tibet Women’s Soccer initiative.

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Dronacharya awardee, Maha Singh Rao is a coach at Delhi's acclaimed Guru Hanuman Akhara, that has produced countless Indian wrestling legends. It was a year ago that, during a team meeting, we sat down with the Excel sheet of events that we hoped to execute in Delhi. We began discussing ideas, concepts and events which would highlight the positive things this city has to offer. We were thinking of the different ways in which we could highlight the things we loved about our city - its unique spaces, the lip-smacking food, urban subcultures, cinema complexes, traditional sports and, most importantly, its people. That is when we can up with the idea of 'Delhi Heroes.' At 'Delhi, I Love You,' we believe that a story that is powerful should be documented for life, hence, our obsession with making videos. While drafting any project proposal, members of our team take on several roles and brainstorm several possibilities, the biggest of which is often: 'How would it look as a film?' To acknowledge the best of Delhi, #DelhiHeroes, became an 8-part video series of Delhi, as told through the Delhiites who know it best. These women and men are not superheroes, but each of them is playing a significant role, in their own subtle way, to ensure we continue to love this city. They are heroes for us.

Here's the first of the eight videos: 'Kushti' with Maha Singh Rao at Delhi's Guru Hanuman Akhara.

[embedvideo id="5Bm3oqvrwzc" website="youtube"] Dronacharya awardee, Maha Singh Rao is the coach, guru and trainer at the Guru Hanuman Akhara. Started by the legendary wrestler, Guru Hanuman, this Akhara is home to many award winning wrestlers like Rajiv Tomar, Dara Singh, and Sushil Kumar. "This academy has produced many award winners for India;16 Arjuna Awardees, 3 Padmashrees, 6 Dronacharya Awardees as well as countless Olympians," says Maha Singh Rao, with a hint of pride. "For wrestlers, the akhara is their temple, and even the mud from which it is made is sacred," he explains.  

Rao has been in the service of the Akhara for 40 years and ensures that the sport continues to remain a favourite amongst locals.

Watch other #DelhiHeroes in action here. Learn more about the "Delhi, I Love You" movement here.

Featured Image Source: Facebook

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Madhavi Latha, founder of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India talks to The Better India about using team sports to build the self-esteem of people with disabilities.  The Indian contingent at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 fetched the country two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. However, team sports remained fairly unrepresented from the Indian side. But, for the past two years, an organisation called the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI) has been working tirelessly to ensure that people with disabilities are also able to participate in team sports at international events. Madhavi Latha, a national-level para swimmer and wheelchair basketball player, founded WBFI in 2011. She says, “I founded a Trust that catered to the needs of disabled children; it was called ‘Yes We Too Can Do.’ One summer, we organised a summer camp for children with disabilities, where we invited coaches from abroad to teach children wheelchair basketball. And the response was amazing – like other young people these kids are extremely energetic and dynamic but haven’t had an outlet to channel these feelings. It improved their confidence, fitness levels, and encouraged team building, so we thought we’d establish a wheelchair basketball federation at the national level.”

The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) soon approached WBFI with a partnership opportunity.

ICRC brought on board experts in the wheelchair basketball field from across the world. Together, they organised a camp to train coaches and referees, since the sport is still in a nascent stage in India. In 2014, they organised a national camp in Chennai with six teams and, in 2015, they conducted a National Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Delhi, in which nine teams participated.

Their national-level initiatives to promote a team sport for disabled people in India created ripples of excitement in international sports circles.

Soon enough, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation recognised WBFI as an authorised body to promote wheelchair basketball in India. With this association, they were able to greatly improve the scope of their operations and managed to train 400 people with disabilities in wheelchair basketball by organising camps in various cities across the country.

Currently, WBFI is training over 20 young men to be a part of the team that will represent India in the Men’s Under 23 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship to be held in Canada in June 2017.

But before they get there, they need to make it through the qualifying tournament in Bangkok in January. WBFI is looking for sponsors and is backed the legendary runner Milkha Singh. They’ve requested Rs. 15 lakh from donors on the crowd funding platform fueladream.com, for participation fees, flight tickets, equipment, etc. Madhavi says, ““We actually need high performance sports wheelchairs that players from other countries use, but these cost around Rs. 3 lakh each. If we can’t get them, we want to send our team there with the basic models.” [embedvideo id="iSS9aIAklMU" website="youtube"] The team of 20 spirited players is being trained by a Lebanese coach named Toufic Allouch, who is working pro bono. Antony Pereira, a veteran of the Indo-Pak war of 1974, is the head coach of the team. Many of the team players, who come from different parts of the country, also belong to underprivileged families. At the end of the camp, around 12 players will be selected and they, along with their coach, will travel to Thailand to represent India. In order to help them achieve their target goal for funds, you can donate here. To know more WBFI's work, do visit their website.

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On Saturday, India was trailing 13-18 at the end of the first half in the final of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. The defending champions needed a spirited effort on the mat to turn things around and it was their best raider who rose to the occasion.

Ajay Thakur's brilliant raids against a strong Iranian defence overturned a halftime deficit, propelling India to a memorable win and its third title in the Kabaddi World Cup.

[caption id="attachment_72907" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Ajay Thakur[/caption]

Photo Source

As Indian captain, Anup Kumar, put it simply at the end of the game,

"Ajay won us the final."

Ajay Thakur's outstanding efforts in the final made him the most successful raider in the tournament with 64 raid points, ahead of Thailand’s Khomsan Thongkham. This was also the fifth time in the tournament that the towering 30-year-old had completed a ‘Super 10’, which means he scored more than 10 raid points in the match. It's little wonder then that Ajay Thakur is called the 'Virat Kohli of Pro Kabaddi' by his fans. Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about the super talented Ajay 'Frog Jump' Thakur.

1. Ajay hails from the village of Dabhota in the Nalagarh district of Himachal Pradesh. His passion for kabaddi is a trait that runs in his family.

Photo Source

His father was a wrestler and his uncle a kabaddi coach, who advised an 18-year-old Ajay to appear for trials at Sports Authority of India's Bilaspur centre in 2004. Merely three years later, the talented kabaddi player had made a place for himself in the Indian team.

2. When Ajay was just 10, he ran away to take part in a kabaddi tournament.

Photo Source

His cousin, Rakesh Kumar, was a kabaddi player who had represented India and an inspired Ajay had decided to follow the latter’s footsteps.

3. When Ajay was first selected for the Indian team, he was extremely thin and was mocked by other players for his weight.

Photo Source

Determined to rectify this, Ajay gained a massive 12 kgs in just 15 days!  He later recalled,

"I was stick thin when I joined the Indian camp. Joginder Narwal, Rakesh Kumar and the others worked on my fitness and fed me continuously which helped me gain 12 kilograms in 15 days."

4. Ajay's biggest strengths are his running hand touch and his signature move, the frog jump.

Photo Source

The "running hand touch" is a common move in which the raider stretches to get a touch point while charging toward the defenders. The "frog jump", on the other hand, is a unique move that sees the player jump in the air with his feet splayed apart. The fleet-footed Ajay has mastered the frog jump, a move that sees him fly away from the defenders' circle, taking them by surprise. Interestingly, he did not know the name of this move until hearing about it on TV!

5. Widely regarded as one of the best raiders India has ever produced, Ajay Thakur has helped the Indian team win many awards.

[caption id="attachment_72923" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Ajay Thakur (extreme left) with India's Gold medallists team at the 2014 Asian Games[/caption]

Photo Source

He also played a key role in the Indian team’s gold medal win at the 2014 Asian Games and 2016 South Asian Games.

6. Ajay Thakur played for the Bengaluru Bulls in the first two seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League before moving on to the Puneri Paltan team.

Photo Source

He has played 58 matches in Pro Kabaddi, scoring 316 raid points and 11 defence points!

7. During the 2014 edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, Ajay was suffering from typhoid and high fever but he didn't let it stop him from playing for his team.

Photo Source

He later said,

 "Yes. I lost 11 kgs due to typhoid, but the team needed me, and that was most important."

8.  With a height of 6 feet 2 inches, Ajay has one of the longest reaches (to midline) among the current lot of kabaddi players.

Photo Source

Currently employed as a Customer Service Supervisor in the Air India, the lanky raider has also served in the Indian Navy for a brief period of time.

9. Ajay's favourite thing to eat is makki ki roti and sarson ka saag.

Photo Source

Apart from kabaddi, the 30 year-old-enjoys watching wrestling and boxing - he is a big fan of the Indian boxing star, Vijender Singh. He also enjoys biking in the cool climes of his home state, Himachal Pradesh, and owns two bikes.

10. A huge animal lover, Ajay loves spending time with his two dogs – Peter and Badal.

Photo Source Left/Right

Ajay loves his village and dreams of setting up a kabaddi academy for locals youngsters who have taken to the sport after Ajay's success.

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Did you know that Kabaddi was invented in Tamil Nadu? Tracing the fascinating history of the game and breaking down the nail-biting final that won India its third World Champion title. India made a dramatic comeback in the second half of the final against Iran, to clinch their third Kabaddi World Cup title. This makes India the three-time winner of a tournament that has only had three editions in its official format, giving us complete dominance over the world game.

What unravelled in the finals?

Source: Twitter

• India and Iran, two of the world’s most successful teams in kabaddi, went head to head for the World title on Saturday night.
• In a gripping and tense final at the TransStadia Arena in Ahmedabad, Iran drove past India for much of the first half, leaving the Indian team stunned.
• However, after a sensational second-half performance, the Indian team staged a comeback unlike any other, to clinch the game at 38-29, making it their third Kabaddi World Cup title.
• Since the instatement of the World Cup in 2004, there have been three editions of the tournament in the standard format, and all three have been won by India. Iran, disappointingly, have ended all three tournaments in second place.
• The heroes of the Indian kabaddi team were not mobbed like their cricket counterparts are, following a similar success, but they held their heads high nevertheless, as their win meant that they were now the unrivalled world champions of kabaddi.

Why is India so successful at Kabaddi?

• A sport that originated in the state of Tamil Nadu, Kabaddi is believed to have derived its name from the words “kai pidi" meaning “hold hands” in Tamil.
• The modern game is played across India and many countries in South Asia since 1930. It is the state game of 7 Indian states and is the national sport of Bangladesh.
• After 2004 and 2007, the World Cup became an annual event post 2010, where the circle style was introduced. India has won every single edition of the World Cup, across formats.
• This is perhaps because of the popularity of kabaddi, and contact sports like wresting in general, in the rural areas of India.
• In fact, even the circle style of kabaddi originated in Punjab, where the format is extremely popular. This is the major reason why India is currently leading the world in the sport.
• The intensity with which kabaddi is taught, learnt, practiced and prepared for is unmatched in India, and the grassroots level development of players and coaches, coupled with the infallible learning structure, results in Indian success on the world stage.

When did India surge ahead?

Source: Twitter

• As the game began, India rushed to a 2-0 lead within 3 minutes. However, Iran soon fought back to make it 3-3 before the 5 minute mark.
• After that, it was a cagey affair, with both sides nicking a point against each other’s run of play, and the game proceeding on a tiptoe of equal scores.
• At the half-way stage, Iran led 18-13, but slowed down in their attack in the beginning of the second half. Once India zeroed in on Iran’s lead, it was only a matter of time before the men in blue made it 20-20.
• At 32 minutes, India were practically running away with the score, using their momentum to keep their conquests afloat, at 26-21 leading.
• With just 5 minutes left on the board, Iran tried a raid but India diverted it supremely, to keep their lead at 30-24. After this last-ditch attempt from Iran, there was no stopping the Indians, who bagged a 34-24 lead in a few minutes.
• With a minute left, India were 35-27 up, and were now focused on tactical arrangements and strategic play to avoid silly mistakes. The game ended at 38-29, signalling a successful second half comeback for the champions, India.

Where did the team shine?

Source: Twitter

• India’s defence were absolutely indomitable, with their precise tackles and unnerving psychological game. From time to time, they were ready to pluck their team out from a bad spree and turn it into opportunity.
• India’s raiders were no less spectacular, with darting runs into the opponent’s court and, a good awareness and prediction of Iran’s tactics. Indian raiders did not expend their energy too much in wasteful runs, and chose to wear out the Iran defence who were slow to advance.
• Both positions of the Indian squad were full of players high on form and morale, and skilled tacticians who placed their game plan above all else.
• Coaches Baskaran Kasinathan and Balwan Singh deployed the right kind of players at the right time, and did not rush their players into unnecessary tackles and raids.
• Tactically, the team was sound. Immediately after switches in personnel, India was able to cut short a deficit or raise their lead, almost at will.

Who were the star performers?

• Captain Anup Kumar had sent out a clarion call to all Indian fans to show their support and solidarity for the biggest game of the team’s history. He was lightning fast in attack, leading his team by example.
• Fellow raiders Ajay Thakur and Sandeep Narwal won the early points and, in a match that was as tense as this, especially at the finals, every point mattered.
• Manjit and Mohit Chillar paired up very well in defence, after the latter was subbed in place of raider Thakur.
• Raider Nitin Tomar was unstoppable, winning tactical points occasionally, and those proved crucial in the comeback.
• Special mention must go out to Ajay Thakur, of course, when, with 5 minutes remaining, he became the World Cup’s highest scorer. His form was splendid in the final, and he bagged 12 points from raids alone.

Feature Image Source: Free Online India

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On February 15, 2016, Shillong's JLN stadium was jam-packed with 22000 football fans who had come to watch India play Nepal in the final of the women’s football at the 12th South Asian Games. Before the whistle commenced the match, a legendary player, captaining India for the last time, was felicitated in front of an appreciative crowd. The Indian women's national team went on to defeat Nepal 4-0 to clinch the gold medal at the 12th South Asian Games. For Oinam Bembem Devi, it was a perfect end to her illustrious career on the football field. The veteran heroine of India's national women's football, had been playing the sport for well over two decades, and had won every domestic trophy there was to win. As the captain of the Indian women's national team, she had also led the country to a number of international titles.

However, despite captaining India to a higher ranking than the men's team, few Indians know about this unsung legend. This is the story of Oinam Bembem Devi, one of the greatest figures in the history of Indian football.

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At the age of 35, after more than two decades of playing for the country, Bembem Devi decided to hang up her boots on 31 December 2015. But the 2016 edition of the South Asian Games was being hosted by India and her teammates were insistent that she play with them. With the aim of winning one final gold for her country, the legendary footballer decided to have one final go and postponed her retirement for a few months. Bembem Devi kept her parting promise. In the final, led by their veteran captain, the team rose to the occasion to convincingly defeat Nepal 4-0. For Bembem, it was a fitting farewell. And with it, one of the greatest figures in the history of Indian football, across both genders, finally bid adieu to the sport. Since her retirement, Bembem Devi has taken up the role of a coach - she spends much of her time training kids back in Manipur as a part of the IFF-FIFA grassroots programme. She wants to start a football school for talented youngsters and she is determined to do it, with or without help from the Government. In an interview to the Times of India, the midfield magician said,

"I have decided not to get married. Instead I have decided to sacrifice my life for football. I eat, sleep and drink football, and my goal now is to train youngsters and promote football."

Oinam Bembem Devi excelled in an era when women's football in India was still in its infancy. There was no professional structure or consistent income stream for women's football in India, but she decided to take the plunge into professional football, despite coming from a modest financial background. In spite of these hurdles, it is a testimony to Bembem's passion for football that she has managed to carve a unique space for herself in Indian football. Yet, despite her immense contribution to Indian football, Bembem Devi has hardly received any recognition in India. Even after a long, illustrious career, she has not been awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award. An unsung legend who has managed to change the narrative around women's football in India, Manipur's midfield dynamo deserves to be recognised and respected by her fellow countrymen.

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He mortgaged his house so he could keep playing chess, travel across the country for tournaments unreserved in General Class, and learn chess over Skype from his mentor! This is the inspiring story of Kumar Gaurav, the National Junior Chess Champion of India. Chess players 16-year-old Kumar Gaurav and his 14-year-old brother Saurabh are busy, huddled together in front of the computer in their small house in the Araria village of Bihar. It’s time for their tuition, which takes place over Skype, where they discuss their week’s work with their Delhi-based mentor Vishal Sareen.

Barring the last two years since Vishal started coaching them, Kumar and Saurabh had to teach themselves to succeed in numerous chess tournaments. Capping all his success so far, Kumar became the Junior Chess Champion at the recently concluded National Junior Championship in Andhra Pradesh.

[caption id="attachment_74591" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Kumar (middle) and Saurabh (left) with their sister Garima[/caption] For Kumar, who has the potential to become a Grandmaster according to this coach, success hasn’t come easy. His father is an advocate and his mother a homemaker. Kumar and Saurabh study in Araria High School in their village. Kumar is in Class 10 and Saurabh is in Class 8. The old desktop in their living room had been their only window to finding answers to their questions until Vishal became their mentor. Kumar’s family has struggled for long to raise money for the boys’ training. Their participation in tournaments across the country also puts a strain on the family’s finances. The boys’ mentor, International Master Vishal Sareen, is confident about their potential. Having started playing chess in 2007, the two boys began training with Vishal in 2014.

"They are mostly self-taught, occasionally seeking help from senior chess players they meet at school or in tournaments,” Vishal says. “They are extremely talented; I genuinely think Kumar has the potential to become a Grandmaster one day.”

Though Vishal is their mentor, the boys have never trained with him on a real chess board. Vishal lives in Delhi. All the training sessions take place online with the help of chess software and Skype.

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“We tried to relocate them to Delhi, but that was not possible due to financial reasons,” Vishal explains. “The only option was to do the training online. I give them work and when they’re done or have any questions, we Skype." Despite their troubles, the young chess players are determined to do well. Saurabh has followed in the footsteps of his elder brother, and they have become each other’s biggest supporters. They manage everything on their own, finding out about tournaments, enrolling for them and travelling to far corners of the country.

“They always find a way to enter tournaments. When they get there, they call me. Then we stay in touch every day during the tournament discussing tactics and moves," says Vishal.

[caption id="attachment_74595" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Kumar studying at his home[/caption] Vishal believes that at this point in time the boys need financial support more than anything else. “Sure, their basic needs are taken care of with whatever their father earns, but it is stressful for them to enrol in and travel to tournaments across the country,” he says. “Forget about taking a flight, they cannot even manage a reserved ticket in sleeper class. They often travel in the general class with unreserved tickets.” At one point, when they needed money to play a tournament, they had to mortgage their house to assure the lenders. Vishal is trying his best to get Kumar and Saurabh the help they need. He has been reaching out to NGOs as well as individuals. “We have to do something for them. Not many have reached this level with such limited resources.” Vishal also expresses concern that Kumar’s performance has been patchy since the 8th Chennai Open International Grandmaster Chess tournament that took place in January. Kumar performed exceptionally well there, making his maiden International Master Norm, scoring 6.0 points in nine rounds. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) title, usually abbreviated as IM in chess literature, is awarded to strong chess players. Three norms in international tournaments involving other IMs and Grandmasters are required before FIDE will confer the title on a player. This means that Kumar is only two norms away from becoming an International Master.

However, his performance has gone downhill of late. “The grim financial situation at home must be having some negative effect on the boys’ performance. When they play in a totally carefree manner, only then are they able to give their best,” says Vishal.

Nevertheless, being the fighter that he is, Kumar recently bounced back with yet another massive win at the National Junior Championship that took place in Andhra Pradesh, with 8.5 points in the under-19 category, emerging as the National Champion.

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If you want to know more about Kumar and Saurabh and wish to help them in any way, you can reach out to Vishal Sareen at vishalsareen@gmail.com.

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) of America has announced that it will be opening an NBA Academy in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India in April 2017.

This academy will train and recruit the best male and female prospects in the sport from around the country and will be fully funded by NBA.

[caption id="attachment_75995" align="aligncenter" width="800"] NBA media conference in Mumbai[/caption]

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The elite training school will be the first of its kind in India and the fifth NBA Academy in the world, following the opening of three such academies in China earlier this year. NBA will conduct a national scouting programme beginning next month, in order to select the first pool of talent – 24 in all – in the age group of 14-18. The prospects will receive scholarships and training at the NBA Academy. Academic education of the candidates will be conducted in partnership with schools. The selection will be finalised by February 2017. NBA is also in the process of recruiting coaches, scouts and consultants to staff the academy and instruct the talent.

The students from the academy will play against top domestic and international teams and the most promising players will find a place in the NBA Global Academy.

[caption id="attachment_76000" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Indian kids playing basketball[/caption]

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The global academy was recently established in Canberra, Australia to act as an international hub for training the most talented prospects from around the world. “It will be the largest ever investment made by NBA globally in elite development centre. We have identified about six facilities in NCR already but it may take 30-45 days more to finalise the centre...NBA Academy India will help us identify and develop elite homegrown prospects and shape the next generation of national players,” said NBA India MD, Yannick Colaco, at a media conference in Mumbai. "Our mission with this academy is to develop and grow basketball in India...It's focused on improving the level of the players on the national team and to really give a vision to Indian kids that there's a chance and a pathway for them in basketball,” said NBA Vice President, International Basketball Operations, Brooks Meek.“The game has never been more popular in India. It is now the right time to set such academy to raise the level of basketball in India. It is an option for Indian kids to explore their talent," he added. In recent years, the Indian men's basketball team defeated China in 2014 and 2016.

Satnam Singh from Punjab became the first player from India ever selected in the NBA draft; he currently plays for the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League.

[caption id="attachment_75998" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Satnam Singh Bhamara, the first Indian to be drafted by NBA[/caption]

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With this announcement, NBA has shown that it is interested in the growth of basketball in India and tapping into the potential sporting talent of a nation of 1.3 billion people.  NBA has already held more than 1500 grassroots events across India to reach 3.5 million youth and thousands of coaches and physical education teachers to build a network that will come in handy once it starts recruiting for the NBA Academy.

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