Javelin thrower gets timely help

DPS secretary promises to provide him aerodynamic javelin

September 06, 2021 02:08 pm | Updated 02:08 pm IST - GUNTUR

Javelin thrower A.V.G. Krishnam Naidu with DPS secretary Rakesh Chukkapalli, in Guntur on Sunday.

Javelin thrower A.V.G. Krishnam Naidu with DPS secretary Rakesh Chukkapalli, in Guntur on Sunday.

A.V.G. Krishnam Naidu, a 25-year-old javelin thrower from Guntur, can throw the spear long, and holds a record for throwing it 68 metres at an inter- university meet in Mysuru in January 2020.

Tall and well built, he is already billed as the next Neeraj Chopra, who speared into fame at the Tokyo Olympics.

Krishnam Naidu, who was trained at BR Stadium, lacks basic support.

He cannot afford an aerodynamic javelin, which costs ₹1.77 lakh. The inability to use an aerodynamic javelin hampered his winning streak and, as a result, during the State meet held in 2021, Naidu could manage only 66.57 metres.

But help came in from unexpected quarters.

During a meeting held by the Athletics Association of Guntur to felicitate medal winners on Sunday, Rakesh Chukkapalli, secretary of Delhi Public School, announced that the school would sponsor the aerodynamic javelin.

The announcement was followed by Mr. Rakesh assuring that he would support any deserving athlete.

Founder of the association Gera Seshaiah said ever since he had founded the association in 1973, they had conducted a number of national and State meets.

Asian Games medallist P.T. Usha rediscovered her form during a meet held in BR Stadium just before the Asian Games in 1985, and many athletes were trained in the stadium.

The speakers at the meeting demanded that the government come up with a sports policy.

Former athletes, Gajula Ramakrishna, a neurologist, Customs and Excise Superintendent K. Siva Prasad, fitness trainer Kandimalla Swapna, District Sports Development Officer G. Venkateswara Rao, secretary of the association Gera Siva Prasad were present.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.