Indian athletes are looking to book their Olympic berths in 2011.
The cricket calendar for the year is packed with action — the World Cup in the subcontinent, the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League and high-profile tours to England and Australia. Reputations will be built and lost over the year. But away from the cricket pitch, its willow, leather and flannels, India’s new-found sports icons, too, will be in action: Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar, Somdev Devvarman, MC Mary Kom, Vijender Kumar, Akhil Kumar and others.
All eyes will be on Nehwal who had a brilliant 2010. She won four Super Series titles, broke into the top 5 of world rankings and won the gold at Commonwealth Games 2010. The challenge will be to hold on to these titles. “I had a good year but want to keep going and hopefully do better in 2011,” says the 20-year-old from Hyderabad. A few questions were raised over her ability to beat the top Chinese players, but she put those to rest in Hong Kong by beating Asian Games gold medallist Wang Shixian. Since she’s the defending champion at four Super Series events, the pressure will be more. Nehwal, however, says expectations and pressure have never bothered her much.
Wrestling in India was never considered a sport to be pursued professionally. Haryana always had pehalwans, and kushtis were popular, but only at the village level. With Sushil Kumar, wrestling has got a new hero to look up to. Kumar, who won the gold at the Delhi Commonwealth Games as well as at the world championships in Moscow, has now recovered from his injury and is all set to begin his quest for a medal in the London Olympics. “I missed the Asian Games to be ready for the Olympic qualifiers,” says Kumar. The qualifiers will be held in China and Kumar wants to leave no stone unturned.
Somdev Devvarman would also be looking to continue his good run of form. He won the gold at the Asian Games and the CWG and reached a career-high ranking of 94. He didn’t do well at the Grand Slams but will be hoping for a better year ahead. There’s the Davis Cup tie against Serbia in March where he will lead India’s charge. Sania Mirza, who spent the last two years struggling with a wrist injury, also showed glimpses of the form that made her a star by winning bronze and silver medals at the CWG and Asian Games, respectively. Her rankings had plummeted to 161 but she gained 20 places by the time the season ended.
Post Beijing 2008, if there’s one sport which has caught the nation’s fancy, it’s boxing. It has made the likes of Vijender and Akhil household names. World number one Vijender would look to seal qualification for London at the World Boxing Championships to be held in Korea in September. There’s a crop of youngsters coming up as well: 18-year-old Vikas Krishan from Haryana and Shiv Thapa have been doing well at the youth level in world boxing and this year could be a turning point for them. MC Mary Kom, a five-time world boxing champion, had a quiet 2010 by her standards and won the bronze at the Asian Games. She will be defending her title at the world championships and hoping to make the cut for London Olympics.
Hockey, too, might get a much needed shot in the arm due to the World Hockey Series promoted by Nimbus Sport and the Indian Hockey Federation. Swimmer Virdhawal Khade is also keen to seal his berth on the flight to London and also do well in the world championships in Shanghai. “After winning in Guangzhou, I am hungry for more medals,” says the teenager from Kolhapur.
Allahabad teenager Ashish Kumar, the first Indian gymnast to win a medal at the Asian Games, has been at the receiving end of the sports ministry and the Gymnastics Federation of India. He’s still waiting for the equipment for his Olympic preparations. Kumar will have to finish on the podium at the World Gymnastic Championships in Tokyo in October to qualify for London. Hopefully, the authorities will pay heed to Kumar and other athletes’ requirements to build on the performances in Delhi and Guangzhou.
