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Indians beat Russians at their own game in Moscow

Jayden, a student of Jasudben ML School in Khar West, bagged a gold medal in chess and football at the Moscow games.

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The children who participated in the championship in Moscow
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In his Vakola home, 8-year-old Jayden D'mello plays swift moves with chess figurines against his elder brother. Jayden returned a champion back from Moscow, where he was representing India along with six other children at the international games. Between seven Indian participants, Jayden D'mello (8), Bhoomi Prajapati (10), Riya Shinde (11), Aadish Cheruku (11), Yash Chandra (13), Navedullah Khan (14) and Devansh Dubey (15), they brought back home a whopping ten medals – three in chess, three in football, two in rifle shooting and two in table tennis.

Jayden, a student of Jasudben ML School in Khar West, bagged a gold medal in chess and football at the Moscow games. Winning against tough Russian opponents in chess was no child's play, recounts Jayden's father Sanjay. "It took 4-6 hours of intense practice every day for two months, for my son to be able to beat the tough opponents," he said.

Jayden was only four when he was diagnosed with Wilms tumour, which affects the kidney. "He had to lose his right kidney to cancer. After 8 months, the cancer relapsed. This time it affected his lungs. His treatment got completed last year only," said Sanjay. For the last four years, Jayden was not taking interest in sports due to restrictions on movement. "The games were a huge confidence booster for me. I was able to checkmate my opponents in all the five games in less than five minutes per game. I play chess as it makes me smarter," says Jayden beaming ear to ear.

Bhoomi, who is all of ten, had never fathomed she would be representing India at Moscow, until a few months ago. At three, she developed Neuroblastoma, that lead to cancerous tumours manifesting in her stomach, chest and brain. "She was subjected to rigorous chemotherapy and radiation for over four years. As a result of innumerable infusions of platelets and blood, she has now contracted a life long infection – Hepatitis B," her mother Aarti told dna.

Bhoomi never knew how to swim, she learnt swimming over the past month and a half to participate in the games. "I had never swam beyond four feet depth during coaching in India. When I was asked to swim in waters of depth that ranged into eight feet, I was scared, yet I completed my laps," she said.

Riya, who was operated for a tumour in the brain last year, won three medals in Chess, Shooting and Table Tennis. "I practiced intensively for two months over the summer holidays for the games," she said.

Yash, who has been frequenting Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Mumbai from Allahabad for the last 11 years for his follow-up treatment after he was diagnosed with Wilms tumour at the age of three, bagged medals in chess and football. "We were a team of five in football grouped with different countries. The games are an amazing chance to make friends from across the world," he said.

In his early teens, Yash shows traits of an innovator, having assembled a portable mobile phone charger and a lamp that run on solar power. Yash's father, Manoj said, "My little son has come a long way, from me carrying him in my lap for chemotherapy sessions at TMH, to surviving cancer, to defeating Russians at their own game in their home country and winning India medals in chess."

The games organised by Gift a Life foundation, co-founded by Russian actors Dina Korzun and Chuplan Khamatova, are held for cancer survivors every year in Moscow since 2010. Sixteen countries including India, Russia, Germany, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, and Portugal amongst others were competing in games.

Medal tally

Chess – 1 Gold, 2 Silver
Football – 1 Gold, 2 Bronze
Table Tennis – 1 Gold, 1 Silver
Rifle Shooting – 2 Silver
Total – 10

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