The Delhi edition of the Commonwealth Games, starting from October 3 to 14, will probably be the ideal stage for the best of sporting talent from Andhra Pradesh to translate its potential into performance.
Not often does one see such outstanding individuals from this state who will be donning the national colours. The list is headed by shooters Gagan Narang and Asher Noria, shuttler Saina Nehwal, and athletes Sathi Geetha and Abdul Najeeb Qureshi, to name a few. There is also tennis star Sania Mirza, who seems to be fast rediscovering her form by picking up her maiden WTA title after a long gap when she won the doubles title in China last week.
Most of these sportspersons are products of a system which encouraged the sports in an unprecedented manner in the late nineties and the first half of the next decade in the state. No wonder these athletes will be the cynosure of all eyes of the sporting fraternity from across the country, given their magnificent record both at the national and the international level.
World No. 2 Saina Nehwal is clearly the best hope in women's badminton and there is the flamboyant Gutta Jwala, who partnering V. Diju in mixed doubles, one of the most feared players. Given their vast experience, both Saina and Jwala are capable of rising to the occasion. “These Games are very special for a medal here is so different from any other achievements given the national pride involved,” says Jwala.
“I always enjoyed playing in these Games. I remember the mood in the Pune Commonwealth Youth Games when I won the gold. It was a fantastic experience,” recalls Saina.
This is also the case with Sathi Geetha, fresh from her ‘golden double' winning the 100 m and 200 m in the Senior National inter-state meet recently. This 26-year-old double Olympian says that the Games present a huge opportunity for her to push herself into contention for the Asian Games this November in China.
In athletics, one of the biggest attractions can well be another Hyderabad boy Abdul Najeeb Qureshi, trained by a relatively unknown Mohd Ghouse of SAAP Academy in Khammam,, who will be in action in the glamour event of track and field – 100 m. The other athletes from the State in the Games' fray include Ch. Shanthi and K. Mridula (4 x 400 m relay).
The stars in the shooting ranges will be a visibly peeved ace shooter Gagan Narang, after being ignored for Rajiv Khel Ratna Award which he strongly believes should have been his this year, along with Asher Noria . Twenty-year-old Gagan will compete in the air rifle, free rifle prone and free rifle three-position events in the Games. Given the fact that this World No.2 has become the first Indian to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, Gagan is a sure medal prospect unless something goes dramatically wrong on the given day. Giving him company is the 17-year-old Asher, fresh from his juniors category gold in double trap in the recent Munich World Championship besides his two consecutive gold in the Junior World Cup.
From the relatively unknown terrain in the world of sports, 28-year-old Srinivasa Rao should be in the mood to give off his best in weightlifting in the 56 kg category. This gold medallist in the last Senior Nationals may not be a push-over. Not many outside the archery world may be familiar with the dedicated efforts of Vijayawada-based Volga Academy, run by Cherukuri Satyanarayana. But, things might well change if his wards Ch. Jigna and Ritul Chakravarthy pull off a surprise in the Delhi Games.
It is not that well-known performers like shuttler Chetan Anand in men's singles and his junior teammate P. Kashyap and Saina Mirza would be naïve to miss the huge opportunity to dazzle in front of home crowds.
Sania Mirza concludes, “Well, Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games this year have always been on my radar. I am happy to enter this event after a pretty decent run in the international circuit. Hope things will fall in place.”
