The seven-member Indian gymnastics squad leaves for the Commonwealth Games without the biggest name Dipa Karmakar, who has been ruled out with a knee injury.
However, B. Aruna Reddy’s bronze medal in the recent World Cup gymnastics in Melbourne could not have come at a more appropriate time.
High on confidence on being the first-ever Indian gymnast to win a medal in any World Cup, Aruna, now training in Uzbekistan, is in the mood to prove that the World Cup show — she also made it to the finals in floor exercises — was no flash in the pan.
Impressive showing
So is the case with the gifted 19-year-old, rhythmic gymnast Meghana Reddy, training in Greece under Varvara Filiou for last eight months. She grabbed the attention with her impressive showing in the CWG trials in Delhi, topping the charts with 54 points, a tally which is close to that of the 2014 CWG medal winner.
Meghana Reddy.
In a way, Meghana represents the new-found confidence of Indian gymnasts in the wake of Dipa’s emergence which resulted in a revolution of sorts, drawing more youngsters to the sport.
Meghana has stayed away from media glare and is focussed on giving off her best if given the chance to compete in the Games. According to coach Bishweswar Nandi, the Hyderabad girl has got amazing perfection levels and, when in full flow, is a treat to watch.
The other two girls who are expected to do well are Pranati Nayak and Pranati Das, who have taken part in two World Championships.
Pranati Nayak says if she could do the Tsukahara 720 and the Hand Front Piked 360 or 540 turn, she should be in with a medal chance. “There were some landing and execution deductions in the last World Cup (she was sixth in vault). I will try to avoid them in Gold Coast,” she said.
In the men’s section, the inclusion of Rakesh Patra — who fought his way into the team after a legal battle — and Yogeshwar Singh is a welcome development though the controversies could have been avoided.
Rakesh — the gold winner in the Hong Kong International recently and a creditable fourth-place finisher in the World Cup (held in Gold Coast) — can pull it off it again.
Ashish Kumar, who won a silver and bronze in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a bronze in the Asian Games, all first for an Indian gymnast, is another gymnast to watch out for.
The squads:
Artistic gymnastics: Women: Aruna Reddy, Pranati Nayak and Pranati Das. Men: Ashish Kumar, Rakesh Patra and Yogeshwar Singh.
Rhythmic: Meghana Reddy.
