After participating in World Biathlon Championship, young swimmers of Thane are now prepared to take part in World Pentathlon competition to be held in the US in October this year. A batch of 16 swimmers, who have already won the nationals held on July 30 and 31 at Karnal in Haryana, are now ready to take on the world champions.
Modern Pentathlon is a mixture of running, swimming and shooting, and in the national championship, the 16 participants, who are in the age group of 8-15, won all sorts of medals – gold, silver and bronze. Over 380 sportspersons from 16 Indian states participated in this championship. And, as many as 16 out of 18 participants from Maharashtra won various medals.
"Now these 16 are going to represent India at the world championship to be held at Sarasota in the US in mid-October," says Manoj Kamble, secretary of Thane Starfish Welfare Association, which was established in 2007, comprising parents of swimmers from the district.
The participants will compete in biathlons and triathlons for various age categories. For instance, those in the 15-year category in biathlon have to run 1,200 metres, swim 200 metres and again run 1,200 metres. Those participating in triathlons have to do laser gun shooting in 50 seconds, swim 50 metres, run 800 metres and repeat this sequence four times.
The only catch is the cost of the US trip, which is quite discouraging. "The cost per person comes to Rs3.65 lakh to Rs4 lakh, which we cannot afford. Last year, my son Prithviraj was to participate in the World Biathlon Championship in Georgia but we could not send him because of the prohibitive Rs1.75 lakh cost," says Kamble, adding: "We have appealed to Thane mayor Sanjay More and guardian minister Eknath Shinde, and will also approach some corporates for funding."
On September 20, 2015, eight-year-old Savar Akuskar from Thane won a bronze medal in the World Biathlon Championship held at Batumi, Georgia.
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