Swinging it

It?s been a great weekend for Indian sports. Even as Team India wrapped up the one-day series against England in style, golfer Jeev Milkha Singh was swinging his way to glory in Beijing, winning his maiden title in seven years.

It’s been a great weekend for Indian sports. Even as Team India wrapped up the one-day series against England in style, golfer Jeev Milkha Singh was swinging his way to glory in Beijing, winning his maiden title in seven years. Success in big tournaments always seemed a hole too far for Singh, thanks to a string of wrist injuries and bad luck — till he shot a dramatic final round on Sunday to win the China Open in Beijing from Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

HT Image

This will raise the profile of golf in India even more and add to the glory brought by players like Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal. But more importantly, it signals a welcome break for Indian sport lovers who suddenly seem to have a lot more than cricket to think about. Be it athletics, shooting, tennis or golf, it’s great to see Indians excel at individual sports so regularly, unlike earlier days when a Milkha Singh or a P.T. Usha came along only once in a rare while. The sad part though is that this is happening in spite of those who preside over various sports bodies in the country. It’s no secret that sports’ success stories are replete with instances when they overcame hurdles by sheer enterprise — be it the backwoods sprinter training barefoot on sandy beaches, or the weightlifter using rocks as dumbbells.

Sport in India rank low in the average citizen’s priorities. Sports bodies must make a special effort to identify and tap the rich talent pool. After all, it took just one Limba Ram (at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992) to announce the rise of many archery champions. It’s time India set a tradition of spotting talent at a young age and nurturing it to grow to its potential. This would help to develop a composite sports culture in the country.