S. Manoj, K. Ganesan and A. Selvaraj may be short-statured but their goals are sky high. From no where, they caught the attention of sports lovers at the 17th National Para Athletics Championship in Jaipur, Rajasthan this March. They won gold medals in shot put, discus and javelin, respectively in their categories and booked themselves a berth in the Seventh World Dwarf Games to be held from August 4 to 12 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Madurai,Tamil Nadu, 10/07/2017. Manoj to represent the country in the 7th World Dwarf Games in Canada.Photo; G. Moorthy
Selvaraj is half the height of the javelin stick, but throws the spear to a distance of 25 metres. “I never knew I can be a javelin thrower. I came to participate in a track event last year where I finished fourth. Credit goes to physically challenged district coach J. Ranjithkumar, who identified my talent and wanted me to concentrate on javelin. I easily cleared a distance of 20 metres in my first attempt,” says the 21-year-old B.B.A graduate from Konapet, Pudukottai.
Madurai,Tamil Nadu, 10/07/2017. K. Ganesan to represent the country in the 7th World Dwarf Games in Canada.Photo; G. Moorthy
He travels every day to the Para Sports Centre in Karaikudi to get trained under M Sundar, Director of Para Sports Centre. “The record in my category for javelin stands at 27 metres and I hope the world meet will bring the best out of me. I am working hard to clinch the gold for my country,” he says.
Shot putter Manoj is well informed. He met Ranjithkumar at a paralympic national meet three years ago and that altered his career. “I won gold medals in 100m sprint and shot put events. But Ranjith asked me to concentrate on shot put which was my favourite in school days too,” says the 21-year-old Mechanical Engineer.
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His passion for shot put won him many medals at zonal, district and divisional-level school sports meets. Competing against able-bodied boys Manoj never felt let down by his physical deformity. Standing at 137 cm, he hurled the iron ball to a national-record winning distance of 8.01 metres in Jaipur, which clinched him a place for the world meet. “The gold medal winning effort in my category in the last world meet was just above 6 metres and I am confident of winning the gold this time,” he says.
He uses gliding method for his throw and spends hours in gymnasium to strengthen his shoulders and arms.
K. Ganesan owns a small poultry shop in Matharai Village near Usilampatti and knew nothing about athletics. He only watched and played cricket. A chance meeting with athlete Manoj at Usilampatti General Hospital changed Ganesan’s perception of sports. “I wanted to achieve something big in life. But I did not know how to go about it,” he says.
Manoj took Ganesan to Ranjith Kumar and it immediately fetched good results. Ganesan was able to clear 20 metre mark easily. He sent the disc soaring to a distance of 24 metre at the national meet to win the gold medal and feels confident of repeating the same at the world meet.
Ganesan is also a regular to gymnasium where he does some weight training and exercises to keep himself fit.
“The fire in their eyes to perform well is the key to success on field. I did nothing but facilitated and motivated them. I have advised them not to get overawed by the grandeur of the world meet,” says Ranjithkumar.
