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Gurjar slams team coach over Rio miss
MUMBAI: Amid the euphoria over javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia clinching gold medal in the F46 category in Rio Paralympics, the curious case of Sundar Singh Gurjar
MUMBAI: Amid the euphoria over javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia clinching gold medal in the F46 category in Rio Paralympics, the curious case of Sundar Singh Gurjar not starting the event has gone largely under the radar.
Before the event at Rio, where Jhajharia won gold, Gurjar was touted to be a strong medal contender, with reports even claiming that he was regularly throwing 70 metres — Jhajharia’s world record at Rio on Thursday stands at 63.97m.
Gurjar not competing at Rio, then, has justifiably raised eyebrows. Having confined himself to his room since that disappointment, the 21-year-old opened up for the first time about the controversy, blaming team coach Deepak Bhardwaj for him failing to participate in the event, despite being in the arena well in advance.
“We (Jhajharia, Rinku Hooda and Sundar) were doing our warm-up together. They both went inside (to report for the roll call) while I went to take my kit bag which was kept a little away. SAI officials and team coach Deepak Bhardwaj took the other two athletes for the registration process while nobody even came looking for me. The coach never made me aware of the rules. Instead, he just ignored me. By the time I returned, I was a minute late and my entry was not accepted. All my efforts went down the drain because of this one minute,” Gurjar told Hindustan Times.
Several media reports claimed that Gurjar was plain negligent when the announcements were made. It was also reported that Gurjar was nowhere close to the training arena and was busy giving an interview to media.
LANGUAGE BARRIER
Gurjar’s chances were also partly hampered by language barrier. “I don’t understand English and I did not know that my name was being called (due to difficulty in understanding the accent),” a heartbroken Gurjar said.
Rajasthan State Sports Council coach Mahavir Saini, who accompanied Gurjar to Rio, was not allowed inside the main arena as he did not have accreditation for that particular event. “My personal coach was there, but he was not allowed in. If the SAI officials or the coach had told me that I cannot be late by even one second, I would not have left that place and registered myself well before time,” lamented Gurjar.
RAISING EYEBROWS What makes Gurjar’s case suspicious is that he had beaten Jhajharia’s long-standing national record earlier this year. In August, Gurjar had filed an FIR alleging attempts to spike his juice with a banned substance.
Gurjar, however, did not wish to claim that there was foul play in his non-participation. “I cannot say anything about it (foul play), but when the government has specially sent these officials to help the Indian contingent, it is their duty to take care of each and every athlete.
“India has lost a medal only because of coach Deepak sir. He was right there but never thought of informing me (about the rules and regulations). I have been consistently throwing 10 metres further than the world record. I have been robbed of an opportunity. God may have not supported me this time, but I am confident he will support me next time,” said Gurjar.
The fiasco has left Gurjar disappointed, but not defeated. “My aim now is to win a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in London. I am more determined than ever and will work even harder than before,” Gurjar said.
Bhardwaj did not respond to repeated calls and text messages.
