Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 20: Displaying extraordinary skill and showing class, composure and grit, the duo of Amrita Roshan and Vanshika Manhas, the students of GD Goenka Public School kept their National flag high at Taipei in China.
These ace sportspersons won bronze medal each in the Kurash Asian Junior Cadet Championship while representing India in this sporting extravaganza.
In a freewheeling chat with EXCELSIOR, these medalists, while sharing their experience, lavished praise on J&K Kurash Association, especially its president Dr Sandeep Singh and coach Bhanu Pratap, Sher-e-Kashmir awardee, for helping this newly introduced sport, which is just making inroads in India, to blossom at the National and International scene.
“As for as the technique of the game is concerned, Kurash is almost similar to that of Judo, however, the main difference is that the languages used in these sporting disciplines are altogether different,” said Amrita.
Vanshika while throwing light on the technique of the game said, “While Judo involves fights standing and on ground, Kurash on the other hand has everything standing. Moreover, Judo is the game from Japan, while Kurash is from Afghanistan.”
On a question as to how they felt after clinching bronze in this prestigious event at the International Level, both of them replied, “ecstatic blissful, simply on top of the world”.
Describing the event as a high quality one, Vanshika and Amrita said that there is hell of difference between competing at National Level and the International scene.
“You have to face tough contestants and quality players at the International Level and have to hold your nerves in crunch situations, which is hardly seen at the domestic level. You need to get married to the sport for excelling at the International arena. Dedication, determination and devotion is the ‘mantra’ to succeed at the top level,” said the pair, while comparing competitions at the domestic and the top level.
Both the players had a big praise for their coach, Bhanu Pratap, who was the coach of the India team also.
They said though the Association provided them opportunity to compete at the International Level, yet there was hardly any financial help from any Association or organization.
They were all praise for the boarding, lodging and allied arrangements made by the organizers in China and hoped for such arrangements in India and their State as well.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Dr Sandeep Singh, president, J&K Kurash Association said that ‘Kurash’ has been introduced in National School Games being held under the banner of School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and is expected to be inducted in Asian Games in the next edition. He lauded the efforts of Amrita and Vanshika for this outstanding achievement.
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