Date:17/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/17/stories/2006071706841800.htm

Sport - Rowing

Indian juniors put up a good show

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: They left the shores almost unnoticed to take part in the Asian junior rowing championship (under-18) in Singapore. But on Sunday, the four rowers — Manjeet Singh of Chandigarh, Amar Patil of Pune, P.N. Vinod of MEG (Bangalore) and Rohit Kumar of Orissa — had every reason to raise their heads high when they returned home after having picked up a silver medal each in coxless pairs and the coxless fours events.

What made the medals even more special was the fact that the Rowing Federation of India (RFI) met all the expenses. The expenses were pooled from well-wishers after the Union sports ministry refused to grant any concession and even cancelled the funds for the coaching camp at the Hussainsagar Lake.

"At the behest of its observer and based on misinformation, the Government deemed it was a waste of time and money to send the rowing team, which it was said, had no medal prospects," pointed out C.P.S. Deo, secretary-general of RFI, in an exclusive chat with The Hindu.

"Since we felt that the 24-month long training stint would go waste, we saw to it that the rowers' plans were not upset and they got the deserving exposure," he explained. "Now, the results are to be seen."

Except for Vinod, the other three are students. Initially, a 14-member team was preparing for the Asian junior meet under the tutelage of team coach M.T. Binu and the guidance of National coach Ismail Baig.

But the Government's indifference forced the RFI to send only a four-member team and all of them returned with silver medals. The gold went to the fancied Koreans.

Target is Doha

All the rowers are delighted with their performance and are now looking ahead with confidence. The focus now shifts to the SAF Games in Colombo and the ultimate target is a medal in the Doha Asian Games later this year.

With the seniors winning four gold, three silver and five bronze in the senior Asian championship in Hyderabad last year, the RFI is confident that rowers would be in the medal bracket despite all odds.

"The much-publicised National Rowing Academy is yet to be grounded at Hussainsagar Lake despite Rs.2 crores earmarked for it," pointed out the RFI secretary-general. Clearly peeved at the observer's attitude, Deo even called for the scrapping of the Government observer's post, as instead of being facilitators, they were turning to be destructors in many disciplines.

He recalled that every time a senior rowing team left from Hyderabad for any international meet, it never returned empty-handed and now it was the turn of the junior rowers to emulate them.

"We have the scope to produce champion rowers once the Centre of Excellence is set up here," he added.

"The six-year long-term plan which culminates this December has produced results thanks to vital inputs from the earlier foreign coach Vulpe," he said. "We will soon chalk out another long-term plan with Indian coaches and we are confident of scripting a new chapter in rowing," Deo concluded.