To be an athlete is one thing and being a pole-vaulter is a different ball game altogether. But for a gymnast of repute, the transition from the vaulting horse or floor exercises to vaulting over with a pole may appear to be simple, especially if Khyati Sharad Vakharia is on the runway.
Pole vault is amongst the most technical events in athletics. India boasts of very few coaches, who have produced good results. National coach L.S. Upadhyay, under whom Khyati is training for the past six odd months has high expectations from his student. Khyati is also very happy with her coach. “His method and commitment are exemplary,” says the 21-year old SAI athlete from Bangalore, after soaring to a new high of 3.30 metres in the recently concluded Senior State Athletic Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
Khyati is a third year MBBS student at Bangalore Medical College. But her prowess and passion for the sport — be it as a gymnast from the age of five or as an athlete just over a year ago has been immense. “I was taken to the Madhavan Park Corporation stadium by my mother when I was four years old for skating and swimming. I was always keen on training for gymnastics, like my elder brother,” she says.
“Three years after being involved in the sport, I got an opportunity to represent my State at the Sub- junior national gymnastics at Agartala in 1997. It took me three years to win two silvers (balancing beam and vaulting horse) and a bronze (uneven bars) in the South Zone Gymnastics championship.”
She adds, “I bagged a bronze in the Tumbling and Acrobatic national championships at Bangalore in 2006 and represented India in the Fitkid World Championship at Malaysia. I finished in twelfth position and decided to quit gymnasts, as I was too tall.
“However, I continued to be involved in many other sports, after joining the Bangalore Medical College. I undertook training under athletic coach V.R. Beedu to become an heptathlete.
“During the training, I won a silver in the State meet and a bronze at the South Zone championship at Vishakapatnam in 2008,” Khyati says.
She continued to make rapid strides
“I was introduced to Dr. Lakshmeesha at the SAI and enrolled into the hostel to pursue athletics. Even as I was training in heptathlon, I always wanted to take up pole vaulting as it was closest to gymnastics,
A meeting with L.M. Upadhyay at the SAI centre changed her life. She contends, “Though he was transferred to Patiala for six months and I had to train alone, I did not give up. When the national camp for pole vaulting shifted to Bangalore, Upadhyay sir came back. I am pursuing my career as an athlete and a pole-vaulter with added zeal.”
She recorded a State-best mark of 2.90 metres at the last BUDAA meet at the SAI grounds last year and cleared the three metres level before winning a bronze at the recently concluded Inter-State meet at Patiala . She also set a new State record in the athletics meet held at Kanteerava stadium recently.
She contends, “I am pushing myself to do better at every meet. Like my idol and inspiration – World record holder Yelena Isenbayeva, who is also a gymnast-turned-pole-vaulter, I am focussed on beating myself. I want to make my country proud .”
