City kids shine at National School Games

Mangalore always finds an important place in the sports map of South India. Though team sports like cricket and football are popular in the city, it is the athletes who ensure a place for Mangalore always.

This year too, two 15- year old students from Mangalore have made the city proud. Varsha S and Siddarth Puthran have won medals for the State in the recently held 57th National School Games at Ludhiana in Punjab in January. The two silver and one bronze medal Varsha won and the bronze medal Siddarth won has a ‘chilling’ story behind their effort. They won their medals, fighting not only with the athletes from other states, but also against the biting cold of minus two degree celsius of Punjab too.

Whizz-kid Varsha

National-level medals are not a new thing for Varsha, daughter of Excise Sub Inspector Rohith Poojary and Cluster Resource Person Vani. This 10th standard student from St Anne’s High School at Pandeshwar, has already won 8 medals in the National School games in the last three years. In the 57th National School Games at Ludhiana in January, Varsha won two silver medals in 100 metre race and 200 metre race and a bronze medal in relay (4x100). She has also won relay bronze in 2009-10 and four silver medals (100, 200, 400, relay) in 2010-11, who is also the former State level volleyball player.

It is her Physical Education Teacher Agnes Gomez who turned Varsha to the world of ‘speed’ from Volleyball. “I noticed her pace in running and I thought sprint items would be more suitable for Varsha than Volleyball,” recalls Gomez. “Her dedication and hard work helped her to achieve this fiat.

The support of her parents and Coach Dinesh Kunder really played a pivotal role in bringing out the talent in this girl,” she said.

Varsha is being trained under wellknown coach Dinesh Kunder since 2009. She practices between 6 am and 7.30 am and between 4.30 pm and 7 pm at Mangala Stadium.

The girl whose ultimate aim is to win an Olympic medal, is now focussing more on 400 metre race.

Mighty Siddarth

Siddarth S Puthran’s face is always adorned with an innocent smile which never matches with his well built physique. This 15-year-old boy from Hoigebazar became the first athlete from Rosario High School to win a medal in National School Games. He covered a distance of 51.37 meters in Hammer throw and won the bronze medal competing with the heavy built athletes from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Son of Shavananda Puthran and Saritha, Siddarth’s favourite events include hammer throw, discus throw and shot put. Siddarth’s father Shivananda Puthran too was an athlete and had participated in the State-level contests in the same events.

The credit of nurturing the talent of the boy goes to Rosario High School Physical Education teacher Kariappa Rai. “When Siddarth was in fifth standard, I noticed the talent in this boy,” he recalled and added that he advised him to take up Hammer Throw, Discus Throw and Shot Put because his body, power and interest suits. He has already participated four times in State-level championships and won many gold medals in Hammer and Discus throw.

Though the kids have made the City proud, they are not very happy with the treatment of government towards athletics. “We are not asking extraordinary facilities. At least if they could give us DA and TA, that is fine,” said Varsha.