The game of champions

MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Mandeep Kaur Sandhu, 16, Boxer, ChakarVillage, Ludhiana

WRITING ON THE WALL Sandhu punched her way to grab the World Cup Junior Gold medal at AIBA Women's Junior World Boxing Championships held in Taiwan in May this year. She is also a three times National Junior Boxing champion (2011, 2012 and 2013).

REVVING UP It was the year 2003 when Sandhu started accompanying her older brother to Sher-e Punjab Sports Academy at her village. She would see the boys punch each other and wondered if she too could be inside the ring. And one day she crossed the ropes. "This was 12 years ago. Initially, I was just fascinated with the sport but over the years it became a passion, especially after I started winning," says Sandhu. One of the 80 girls in her village who trains in boxing, Sandhu wants to represent India in the senior category one day.

SMOOTH RIDE? A standard 12th student, the boxer says the journey from a wideeyed, curious girl to winning the international gold for India has not been easy. "One is always thinking about improving, which invariably implies training harder every day. Considering the fact that there was no financial support from the government, it has been one tough journey," she says. All praise for the academy in her village, the boxer says, "I would not have achieved what I have if there was not such solid support from them and my parents."

STATE OF AFFAIRS The young boxer rues that India lags far behind several Asian countries when it comes to infrastructure facilities. "Even in a small country like Taiwan, I was surprised to see the attention they paid to sports in terms of rings and equipment. We desperately need better scholarships and coaching facilities in India," she says.

THINKING ALOUD Sandhu says for serious sportspersons who want to dedicate their lives to the game, it is important that all basics are taken care of by the state. "Every day, we read in newspapers about sportspersons appealing to the government for jobs and some of them not even able to sustain themselves," she says. Believing that governments need to tap the immense potential hidden in the countryside, Sandhu thinks that government officials should make a special effort to identify talent from villages.

HITTING THE BULL'S EYE
Avneet Kaur Sidhu, 33, Shooter, Mohali (Punjab)

WRITING ON THE WALL The 2008 Arjuna awardee won the gold (team) and silver medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia. She is the first woman shooter from Punjab to represent India in the Beijing Olympic Games, 2008.

REVVING UP Sidhu, who had never played any game in her life and topped her Bachelors in Computer Application in 2000, picked up the rifle when shooting was introduced in Dashmesh College in Badal village of Bathinda district , where she was studying. "It was a new sport and I found it so different from other ones that were popular in the college. Also, the fact that it would give me a chance to travel to different places really excited me," she says. It was not until her first National tournament in the year 2002 that Sidhu started taking the game seriously. "I was deemed qualified for the selection in Team India. Everybody present there was impressed with my shooting skills. That is when I realised that I should start focusing on it more," says Sidhu.

SMOOTH RIDE? "The government starts supporting you only after you have won a major tournament. Frankly, one needs support when one is struggling to make a mark. How do you expect every shooter to buy a good weapon which costs in lakhs? The .22 ammunition is also costly and one cartridge is available for Rs 30. You need to shoot at least 300 rounds every day for practice. Do the calculation," she says.

THE LAP OF GLORY
Chahat Arora, 18, Swimmer, Chandigarh

WRITING ON THE WALL Arora has won gold in 100 metres category in National Games, 2015, silver in Senior Nationals in 50 metres breast stroke in 2014 and four golds and one silver in CBSE Nationals, 2014.

REVVING UP Arora jumped into the pool at the age of four. In a few days, she knew how to swim. And after a few more days, she was doing a better job than people twice her age. "Everybody was shocked. I just loved the water. But it was only at the age of 14 when I won a bronze medal in Junior Nationals in 2009 that I started taking swimming seriously and decided that this is what I wanted to take up as a career," she says. SMOOTH RIDE? Arora, who just finished school with 89 percent grade in standard 12th, says she has never got any support from the Union Territory (UT) administration despite bringing several laurels to Chandigarh. "Only my parents and coach Gurcharanjit Singh have stood by me. No one has bothered to ask me how I afford all the expensive swimsuits which cost Rs 30,000 a piece and can be worn only four times. My parents have been shelling out money when it comes to travelling for competitions," says the swimmer.

STATE OF AFFAIRS Stressing that the UT administration and the central government have been ignoring swimming as a sport for a long time, Arora says, "I am the country's best in 50 and 100 metres, but who do I practice with in this city? There is zero exposure. Politicians and bureaucrats always talk big by saying that our players should go international, but are they making any efforts for promising swimmers to train in US, Australia or Japan with top coaches?" she asks.

THINKING ALOUD The swimmer thinks the whole system needs an overhaul. "We do not have dieticians, nutritionists and fitness trainers who can make a big difference when competing at the international level. Also, how can we expect private corporate companies to lend support when the government itself is not doing enough? You won't believe it, but there are no set dates for the national championship too," she says.

THE ROAD KING
Sunny Sidhu, 41, Rallyist, Chandigarh

WRITING ON THE WALL Seven times Desert Storm Rally (2003 to 2010) and Raid de Himalaya rally (2003) winner, Sidhu was also adjudged second in last year's Indian Rally Championship. He is a part of Mercedes Luxe Drive programme and the first rallyist to win a major rally (Desert Storm) in a diesel vehicle in 2014.

REVVING UP For this champion rallyist, life has always been one long adventure in the true sense of the word. A national skiing champion at the age of 14, Sidhu went on to bag the third position at SJOBA rally held in the Shivalik Hills at the age of 17 in 1993. "There has been no looking back ever since. I knew I was born to live in the fast lane," he says.

SMOOTH RIDE? Despite the recognition from motorsport quarters across the country, Sidhu, who currently drives with Team Mahindra, admits that the journey has been far from being smooth. "This is a very expensive sport. Back in the day, sponsors were hard to find; not that they are any easier now. It was a big deal if a company paid even for your tyres or battery. And then there was the pressure of performing well at every rally lest even those sponsors ran away," he says. STATE OF AFFAIRS Lamenting that not enough is being done to encourage motorsport in India, Sidhu, when asked about the government's decision to finally recognise it as a sport, says, "That should have happened 20 years back. This country is so obsessed with cricket that no one is willing to acknowledge that other sports and sportspersons also exist, no matter how much they achieve. Abroad, even if you win a regional rally, you become a hero."

THINKING ALOUD Sidhu says better infrastructure, in terms of tracks, and events such as small rallies across the country can go a long way in promoting the sport in India. "There is immense advertisement potential that motorsport can provide. Also, sports channels have started airing motorsport events being held in the country and these have a sizeable viewership," he says.

SHUTTLING TO SUCCESS
Ishita, 14, Badminton Player, Chandigarh

WRITING ON THE WALL Ishita was awarded a special trophy for outstanding performance by a woman player after she won all six single games at the International Mixed Team Youth Tournament in Czech Republic held in June this year. Despite belonging to the under-15 age group, she caused a major upset by securing the second position in under-19, first position in under-17 and under-15 categories at the state level in 2014 state championship.

REVVING UP The extremely quiet girl takes quite sometime to open up, and not before her coach Surinder Mahajan, who coaches the National Badminton Team (juniors), encourages her. What started as a hobby at the age of nine became a passion after she won a local tournament. "Badminton ceased to be just a game after that. I started coaching under Mahajan four years back and the rest is history," says the girl who trains for around seven hours every day.

SMOOTH RIDE? "Consistency is the key, you never know what the opponent has up their sleeve. It is important to keep oneself on the edge," she says. The young player, who gets a meagre scholarship of Rs 6,000 per year from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), says she has been lucky to have parents who have supported her all the way. "They have always cheered for me and smiled, even if I lost a match," she says. STATE OF AFFAIRS "I am aware that there are many talented players in smaller cities and villages who have not been able to come forward due to lack of facilities. Honestly speaking, I wonder if the government is doing anything, but if I have reached this stage, it is only because of my coach and parents," says the teenager.

THINKING ALOUD When Ishita went to Czech Republic, she was stunned to see little boys and girls on the court. Lamenting that even good schools in India do not invest in infrastructure, the young player adds, "There is no dearth of talent here. All we need is good infrastructure."