tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44712876303935714962024-03-08T09:14:28.001-08:00Inspire a Generation:Stories of Triumph from the Olympics and beyondInspire a generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07586270678787025042noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471287630393571496.post-66262663859288969292012-09-20T10:49:00.003-07:002016-08-19T02:57:18.712-07:00Learn how to dream as I did: Fastest woman Paralympian on Earth, Terezinha Guilhermina<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There are few people in this world, whose stories
when you read, makes you want to meet them. And when you meet them, you just
don’t want to let them go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Terezinha Guilhermina is one such. She, the holder of the title of
fastest woman Paralympian on earth, is also the possessor of the most
infectious laugh and a killer attitude that I know of. My desire to meet her
was for the former reason and to not let her go was for the latter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And so it was arranged on the day after the end of
the Paralympic Games in London, by the most gracious Fernanda Villas Boas, the
Press Relations Officer for the Brazilian team. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The entire Brazilian team, in their yellow and green
jerseys was beginning to gather in front of the Straford International station
to meet the Press. It was a nice game of spot the athlete for one who had
watched the Games with fervent madness. ‘Look there’s Daniel Dias with six gold
medals hung around him’, I squealed in excitement. ‘Oh! And that’s Alan
Oliveira, the guy who upstaged the Great Oscar Pistorious in the 200m race for
double amputees’. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And then, I spot her. The great Terezinha
Guillerhmina, something of a Paralympic legend. A multiple gold medalist from
Beijing and London in the T-11 category in the 100m, 200m and 400m events.: A
category for completely blind runners who run with a guide.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lJadbuJhLSs/UFtUTcmFUJI/AAAAAAAABfQ/Vq5Gh9c-H7Q/s1600/DSC_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lJadbuJhLSs/UFtUTcmFUJI/AAAAAAAABfQ/Vq5Gh9c-H7Q/s320/DSC_0247.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I whisked off Terezinha along with Mario, the Portuguese
translator from the rest of the Brazilian team who were clearly the toast of
the press and public alike for their stupendous performance in the London
games. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Her spunky attitude is evident from the very first sentence
she utters while recounting her childhood growing up with total lack of sight.
‘At first, I started seeing shadows and thought that was how everybody saw.
Only when I started banging into people and doors, did they realize that there
was a problem with my vision. Gradually I could see nothing.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">School, then, was not very easy as she had no
massive support from the teachers who largely wrote on the blackboard, which
she could not see. ‘Since I had to write something in my notebook to keep the
teacher happy, I wrote imaginary stuff. No wonder I failed twice in the same
class’, she says with a naughty smile. It wasn’t until a sensitive teacher came
along who read out lessons to her that she made to the next grade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Terezinha has her older sister to thank for what she
is today. When given a choice between swimming and running at her high school,
she petitioned he sister for running shoes. It was like asking for a luxury
item from a family of twelve siblings that lived in abject poverty in a small
tenement without electricity. If not for her sister who got her those shoes,
she would never have made it to the Olympic track. Why did she not take up
swimming, I ask, out of curiosity? ‘I need a pool to swim. I can run anywhere’,
she says with her characteristic verve. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Naysayers were aplenty,
who so much as scoffed at her, when she first declared she wanted to run
competitively. ‘I will be the best in the world, wait till you see’, she told herself and the
numerous doubting Thomases. So did she go back to them and stick it in their
faces after she won her first Olympic medal, I ask. She laughs and I know that
something very spunky was about to come. ‘No. I just told them to learn to
dream as I did.’ How's that for an answer!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Terezinha, first competed in the Paralympic Games in
Athens in 2004, where she won the bronze in the 400m event. She bettered her
take home tally to a gold, silver and a bronze in 200m,100m and 400m
respectively in the Beijing games in 2008. The T-11 category is one of the toughest, in that, athletes run
with a guide runner joined at the hands, much like a three-legged race. The
guide’s job is to assist the athlete with verbal instructions to cross the
finish line. The rules also require the guide to break the leash just before
the finish to let the athlete cross before him. Needless to say, it requires
complete trust between the two as well as great communication,which is
sometimes difficult if the crowd is blowing the roof off, as they did in London. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zHX8krZK7JU/UFtTy6QHpkI/AAAAAAAABfE/rSn007SxHWk/s1600/DSC_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zHX8krZK7JU/UFtTy6QHpkI/AAAAAAAABfE/rSn007SxHWk/s320/DSC_0244.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">She came to the London Games with one goal: Gold in
all the three events. Gold in 200m was already in her bag, it was 2 more to go,
when disaster struck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her guide, Guilherme
Soares de Santana, fell before the finish line in the 400m race, which was
nothing short of heart-breaking. When I saw the race on the T.V, apart from
being devastated myself, I wondered what this meant for her last but most
crucial 100m race and more importantly for the relationship between the two.
Would they be able to put this behind them and move on?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Sport is an incredible teacher for building many
enduring, life-enriching characteristics, chief among them being ‘Pick yourself
up, dust down and move on’ or run, in this case. The very next day, Terezinha
stepped on to the 100m <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>track, waving
and smiling complete with her funky eye-mask and beaded hair in Brazil colors, not just to win the race
but smash the world record at 12.01 seconds. In what was a very poignant moment, she then embraced her guide and
held his hands up asking the crowd to cheer him on as they both cried. The
audience responded with a well -deserved standing ovation, which brought a tear
to many an eye that evening. It was quickly followed by an impromptu Samba by
the Brazilian clean-sweep(they won silver and bronze too), true to the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brazilian philosophy, that rejects
anything tear-sodden and believes that life is one big beach party!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I ask her who her role models are, expecting someone
on the lines of Florence Griffith Joyner or Marion Jones. Pat comes a strong
reply ‘Pele and Ayrton Senna! I am always amazed by women athletes who have
male role models, even more when they’re out of their own discipline.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It is perhaps easy to see why one would have wanted
to carry on chatting with Terezinha until a thousand dusks or more. But the
team could not have a photograph with their legend missing, could they? So, she
must join them now. I had time for one last question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Is there any desire that she has not yet fulfilled and would like to?
‘Yes’, she says. ‘To be a mum’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Inspire a generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07586270678787025042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471287630393571496.post-60652490524303524882012-09-05T03:32:00.001-07:002012-09-05T07:11:37.411-07:00Silver in London, Gold in Rio: Nothing less will do for HN Girisha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Great news makes waking up really early in the
morning quite worthwhile. Like yesterday. I was groggily moving the screen of
an Indian news site on my Ipad, when hidden obscurely in the sport section was
this: India won its first silver medal at the Paralympics. Hosanagara
Nagarajagowda Girisha won the silver medal in the High Jump. Brilliant!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Next minute, I grabbed the phone, called the
Paralympic committee in India, spoke to Girisha’s coach Satyam and fixed up an
interview for 4:30 pm. When I finally met Girisha at 6 pm, as the Indian media
descended in hordes (probably after a congratulatory tweet from Ajay Maken, the
sports minister and Narendra Modi), he was still managing a smile, still
signing autographs and politely declining India badges as he did not have any.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As we settle down for a nice Indian cuppa, Samosa
and Pakora, he warns me that his English is not great. ‘I can understand
everything you are saying, but I am not able to speak very well. I am just now
learning English.’ I think he is doing great and tell him so. ‘Really a? ‘, he
looks pleased. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFe4yxFmtq4/UEco_MhmjTI/AAAAAAAABes/bYpoZ-SZCM8/s1600/girisha+medal" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFe4yxFmtq4/UEco_MhmjTI/AAAAAAAABes/bYpoZ-SZCM8/s320/girisha+medal" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">‘You know, last night when I saw the India flag
going up, because of me, I am feeling very proud’, he starts. So you should be,
Girisha, you should be! You made a whole nation proud and your achievements
will change perceptions and attitude towards ‘disability’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will perhaps spur on many young
people with disabilities to realize what they are capable of, what they can do.
He hopes so too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Girisha tells me he first realized that he could
jump when he was six. Born with a left leg impairment, he won the first place
at a school competition in his village in Hasan district (Karnataka), competing
against fully fit kids. Since that day, he set his eyes on the bar. Both his
parents are small farmers and so growing up was not very easy, financially, and
definitely not, if you are born with an impairment. ‘It is difficult, but I
know I wanted to do it. A lot of people helped me. If you want to do something,
you will find people to help you.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The one common thread I have noticed, having spoken
to and read about athletes from small nations and challenging circumstances is
that they never seem to dwell too much on their challenges. They focus on the
opportunities that they have got, are grateful, and make full use of them. That
is a big lesson for me, for all of us!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Girisha acknowledges the support of the principal of
his college and his PE Teacher in rural Karnataka who recognized his talent and
motivated him to participate at the National Games in Bangalore in 2006. He was
seventeen and had never been to Bangalore or any other city for that matter.
Since then, he has won consistently at the Para National games. I ask him what
support did he get in those days that he was struggling to burst into the
national stage. He politely but convincingly tells me that support comes in
many forms. Not just monetary. Had his college not egged him on to participate
in the National Games, his talent would have languished in his village. And he
is grateful for that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He knows that his moment of glory is not his alone.
He tells me how Samarthanam Trust, a charity, helped him train for a BPO job,
which helped him secure one with ING VYSYA Bank. The Bank, in turn sponsored
his training and expenditure for the qualifying championships for the London
Paralympics in Kuwait earlier this year. And then, he cannot emphasize enough
the support provided by the Indian Paralympic Committee and The Government of
India and Karnataka. We all like to diss the government for not doing enough
for our athletes. A large part of it is true, but credit where credit is due!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What makes his silver medal more spectacular is that
it comes at his second International outing. Yes, that’s right! His only other
international championships were in Kuwait and Malaysia this year. This young
man performed when it mattered the most, on the biggest stage that he could
possibly get!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So was he nervous? ‘I am very scared before my first
jump. But after that, I felt better. My best jump before this was 1.60m.
Yesterday, I jumped 1.74, which is a new Personal Best (PB) for me.’ So how did
he do it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘The crowd’, he says.
‘The crowd were cheering so much that I did not realize I jumped 1.74m. And the
good weather supported me’. London crowds are amazing, he tells me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Girisha jumped ahead of the Polish favourite Lukasz
Mamczarz whose PB was 1.80m. So how does he keep track of International
benchmarks? ‘Internet’, he says. ‘I surf the net and read a lot on IPC website
and so I know the athletes’ performances.’ Quite cool!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">He trains under his coach Satyanarayana, who he met
earlier this year and Nikitin of Ukraine at the Sports Authority of India(SAI)
facilities in Bangalore. ‘Are they world class?’ I ask. ‘Not entirely, but very
good’, he says. That’s heartening to know!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">One thing Girisha is confident his medal will do is
throw spotlight on Paralympics athletes. </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The same amount of prize money declared by the sports minister Ajay Maken ( 30 Lacs) as the Olympics winners is a great step forward.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> ‘India is a big country, yet only 10
athletes participate. Why? Good question, Girisha! ‘Look at China. They send
300 athletes. Small countries send more athletes than us. I want to see more
athletes from India in Rio.’ Why don’t you convey this to the sports minister,
when he comes to meet you at the athletes village tomorrow? Some of us can
tweet, write, campaign. Make your dream come true!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While we are sipping in some hot Chai, an old man
stops in his tracks and asks Girisha: India? Since he is too modest to say, I
inform him that he is the silver medalist. ‘Oh yes, High Jump! We saw you last
night. I am a Ugandan of Indian origin and you make me proud’. Girisha cannot
stop beaming. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He is overwhelmed by all the support and
congratulatory messages pouring in. He shows me some on his phone with a mix of
pride and disbelief. He has slept only two hours since he won the medal, partly
due to excitement and partly because of the media duties. Just as he is telling
me this, a reporter from a big news channel in India interrupts us, with what
looks like a tripod and what definitely seems an entitlement hung around his
shoulder. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Are you finished with him? cos I am worried about
the light.’ Well, why did you not drag yourself earlier then? What did you
expect at 6:45 pm on a September’s day? That the sun will wait upon you, just
because you are ABCD 48*4. I decided to be generous and continue my interview
after the filming. After all, how long would that take? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Only a couple of hours, if you are a self-obsessed,
care-a-damn-for-others, sort of a pushy ‘reporter’( sorry, I use that word very
generously, for if you are one, you would report, for which you’ll have to
listen and not worry about the frickin’ camera), who is ignorant of the
principles of light. After making Girisha pose with the Jamaicans and all other
nationalities that passed by, the reporter realized he may have lost light and
decided to shift the filming process under the incandescent light. Hallelujah! Did
you not attend any refresher course at all? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And if you are somebody who is rubbish at reading
people’s faces, then at least you surely can read people’s lips? Well, Girisha’s
were saying I AM TIRED. All these on deaf ears. And so if you thought our
government cares a damn for our athletes, wait till you see our media,
especially the electronic ones.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I feel the need to intervene and tell the coach that
this is ridiculous. The coach says that this is necessary as it brings the
athletes and Paralympics into the spotlight. He has a point. But should an
athlete be subjected to this? Is this the media or mafia? Give us footage or we
won’t feature you? Preposterous!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, when the reporter had got his footage, and
decided to let him off the hook, Girisha is on the verge of collapse. He apologizes
to me ( as he repeatedly does during his hijack) and asks me if I could meet
him tomorrow and we could speak in peace. I think he should rest and it was my
pleasure entirely to have met and chatted with him. As we were parting, I ask
him what next? What does he aspire for? Pat comes the reply, “Gold in Rio.
Nothing less.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The whole nation is right behind you Girisha! Aren’t we?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OOB3Yllk0yM/UEcpQKY8KBI/AAAAAAAABe0/IbtbnaS0dsk/s1600/Girisha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OOB3Yllk0yM/UEcpQKY8KBI/AAAAAAAABe0/IbtbnaS0dsk/s320/Girisha.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (<span style="font-size: x-small;">This photograph is courtesy the same reporter as my camera conked off at the right moment. Thanks Mr.Reporter</span>)</span></div>
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Inspire a generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07586270678787025042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471287630393571496.post-43652181008352142462012-09-04T06:04:00.000-07:002012-09-04T06:04:51.739-07:00Spirit in Motion: The Paralympic Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The last five days have been awe-inspiring to put it
mildly. The Paralympians came, danced their way into the opening ceremony,
swam, cycled, ran, jumped and did everything else and more as the Olympians. All
this with an attitude that makes you wonder: How are they ‘Disabled’ or
even<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Differently- Abled’?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This was the first time I was watching the
Paralympics and did not know what to expect. In the run-up to the games, the
media did a brilliant job of bringing us inspiring stories of the athletes they
called ‘superhumans’. Stories that defied every conventional notion of thought
on what is possible. Voices of the athletes who told us how they viewed their
disability and how they would like to be viewed. Esther Vergeer, the Dutch
wheelchair tennis legend, who is on an unbeaten record of winning 465 matches,
summed it up when she described herself as “cool”. Indeed, cool is what they
are!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet, I imagined the races to be easier, with shorter
lengths and less demanding conditions than the Olympic races. Except they are
not! The Paralympians swim and run the same distances, while being grouped into
different categories based on their conditions. They cycle in pretty much the
same events: Individual and team pursuits and sprints, Time-Trials etc. They
jump: both high and long. And you really have to see them play basketball: the
speed with which they move across the court, the aggression with which they
claim possession of the ball and the deftness with which they propel their
chair while dribbling the ball. It is turning out to be my favorite sport.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My first hair-raising moment of the games was seeing
Iaroslaw Semeneko of Ukraine swim 100m backstroke. With no arms! He used his
legs to propel him forward and banged his head against the wall to finish 2
seconds ahead of his German competitor. Not to be outdone, Lu Dong of China
accomplished a similar feat in the women’s event. Jessica Long, who was adopted
from a Siberian orphanage lost both her legs when she was 18 months old. She
won her first swimming gold at Athens at the age of 12! She is the current
world record holder in 13 swimming events, no less. If you are wondering about
her attitude, you only have to read what she headlines on her website: “Gold
medals are not made of gold. They are made of sweat, determination and a hard-
to- find alloy called guts”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hop to the velodrome and one finds superhuman
cyclists with one arm or half a leg sprinting away. Some of them display their
‘coolness’ with painted prosthetics. The most awe-inspiring story has to be of
double gold medalist Sarah Storey (GB), who was born without a left arm, was a
Paralympic swimming champion from 1992 to 2005 after which she took up cycling.
And won gold! She is not finished yet as she is racing on the road. Triathlon
next, Sarah?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The track is replete with superstars. Oscar
Pistorious, Jason Smith, Martin Mckillop, Terezinha Guellermina, David Weir and
new kids on the block like Alan Oliveira. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The question, then, is how are they ‘disabled’ or
‘differently-abled’? If ability is the ‘quality to be able to do something’,
these Paralympians have smashed the definition. They are anything but
‘disabled’ and certainly not ‘differently-abled’. They are simply able. Period.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">These Games have been massive in propelling the
Paralympic movement forward. The record sell-out of tickets and the
overwhelming enthusiasm of the spectators show the appreciation for the
seriousness of Paralympic sport, for they are serious athletes who train as
hard. Most train alongside ‘able-bodied’ athletes. I would like to imagine a
day when we have their timings and records on the edge of our tongues and
discuss them as we do with other sports. That would truly mean mainstreaming
the Paralympics. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If there is one thing the games and athletes
represent, it is the limitlessness of human potential. They showcase what we
are capable of and yet we don’t know. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They indeed are ‘Spirit in motion’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Inspire a generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07586270678787025042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471287630393571496.post-58772091098094711902012-08-11T18:13:00.001-07:002012-08-11T18:25:00.287-07:00Faster, Faster, Faster: The stride of Kirani ‘Jaguar’ James<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1AKnAy7hB74/UCb9EnOeWUI/AAAAAAAABcA/1m3aOvB6B2o/s1600/DSC_0150_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Men’s
400m Semi-final, London2012</b>: Oscar Pistorious was making history as the first
double amputee to run in the Olympics. In awe of his relentless spirit, I
scream my lungs out as the gun goes off. C’mon Oscar,C’mon! The race ends. I’m
still in awe of Oscar for what he has achieved, when the BBC screens show a
tall and majestic young man, still panting, walk up to him and swap his nametag
with Oscar as a sign of respect for the athlete. In an instant, he won the
hearts and respect of millions watching the race. And then he went on to win
the Gold!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
young man is Kirani James, a nineteen year old athlete from the tiny island
nation of Grenada. A world champion and now an Olympic champion. That evening
he cemented Grenada’s place in Olympic history and his own in the hearts and
minds of spectators.So, when I planned on writing this blog, I was sure I
wanted to start with his story. </span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1AKnAy7hB74/UCb9EnOeWUI/AAAAAAAABcA/1m3aOvB6B2o/s1600/DSC_0150_2.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1AKnAy7hB74/UCb9EnOeWUI/AAAAAAAABcA/1m3aOvB6B2o/s320/DSC_0150_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wrote a freak email to Olympics Grenada asking for a chance to speak with Kirani.
Within 10 minutes, I had an email, putting me in touch with his agent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaldo_Nehemiah">Renaldo Nehemiah</a> (once world’s best 110m hurdler). In the next half hour, I managed to
speak with Renaldo. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">‘How
about tomorrow? I am flying back to the States, but will put you in touch with
his coach, Harvey Glance. He can tell you what time works best after tonight’s
medal ceremony’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was this real?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next morning, I called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Glance">coach Glance</a>, an
Olympic gold medalist himself. Could I make it to the EAT café at Westfield
mall at 12:30 today? Of course, I could! I bargained for 15 minutes of their
precious time and the chance to see, touch and feel his gold medal and they
obliged. Readily. I was elated at the prospect of breaking bread with two Olympians.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>8th
August, 12:20 PM, Westfield Mall, Stratford</b>: The mall is teeming with people.
At the café, not a seat was empty. I’ll perhaps wait to the corner seat to get
empty. I was sure they would never arrive before 1 PM anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>12:30
sharp</b>: Kirani and Coach Glance walk in. Disbelief again! First indication
already on why he is a successful athlete. We manage to find a quiet corner in
the mall, away from people who were beginning to ask for a photograph with him.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So
when did he realize that he had a talent for sprinting? At the age of twelve,
he says, in his gentle baritone. What? Most kids of that age are still throwing
tantrums over food. And here he is, making choices about his life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Kirani
grew up in the small fishing community , Guyove in Grenada, where his father
works as a labourer. His family are keen basketball players but he chose
sprinting instead. I ask him why. ‘I participated in the Youth games in the
Carribean and won the 400m when I was fourteen. If I could be so good at such a young age, I could be
better. So I started believing and working harder.’ What remarkable confidence
for a fourteen year old!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
seventeen, he was recruited on a scholarship to the University of Alabama under
coach Harvey Glance. Here, he earned the nickname ‘Jaguar’ for his running
style, as if he was going for his prey. At 18, he became the
World Champion. At 19, he is the Olympic champion. What a CV already, eh?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
still amazed by this young man and his belief, when Coach Glance chips in. ‘The
greatest thing about Kirani is his make-up. He is a modest, humble young man. I
think it all comes from his family. The apple don’t fall far from the
tree.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That humility and modesty
was evident on the track. After winning the race, Kirani did not run into the
stands, as athletes usually do. Instead, he walked back and shook hands
with all his competitors. Now I witness the same modesty off it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What
about opportunity? Small countries have limited opportunities as far as
facilities, coaches etc were concerned. Had he not won the scholarship to study
and train in the US, could he have achieved this? ‘If you are hungry and you
want it, you make it happen. I don’t take anything for granted. I appreciate
the opportunity I have and do the best I can do. All I want to do is run for my
country and make everyone associated with me proud’.’ He knows where he comes
from but chooses to talk about the opportunity than dwell on the challenges
with gentle steeliness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
Glance thinks it’s not about the best coaches and training facilities. Of
course, they matter. ‘But you have got to create your own “situation”. Even though
there are a lot of opportunities in my country, lot of people let them pass by
because they have not put themselves in a position to be started’, he says
emphatically. What Kirani did, was to put himself in the situation, with his
talent, hard work, commitment<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
determination , to be recruited by<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>coach Glance at the University of Alabama. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">How
does he keep himself from all the distractions of the modern world? Like
twitter and Facebook? I tell him that I looked for him on twitter and couldn’t
find him. He laughs. He says he cannot handle twitter and so he stays away. So
that’s how you focus!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Managing academics at university with athletics.How does he do it? ‘The one
thing I promised myself and my parents was that I was going to get a good education.
I have been finding the balance since I was twelve. I am now good at it’. When
he is back in Tuscaloosa, he has the schedule of any regular student with
classes often late into evening with a lot of track practice thrown in good measure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yB9N7PQrrLg/UCb9zVhujnI/AAAAAAAABcI/Phb2wRhNJ5M/s1600/DSC_0154_2.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yB9N7PQrrLg/UCb9zVhujnI/AAAAAAAABcI/Phb2wRhNJ5M/s320/DSC_0154_2.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Phew!I
was beginning to get completely overawed by this level headed young man when I
decide to ask him what it takes to be a champion, to reach one’s goal. ‘ Confidence
in your ability. Don’t try to be somebody else. When you try to be somebody
else and emulate them in what they do and you don’t do it, you’re going to be
disappointed’. I gasp and ask him whether he is indeed a nineteen year old. He
laughs shyly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
was time for lunch. Kirani suggests a Carribean kiosk in the mall that he had
been to before. Coach and I jumped at the prospect. At the kiosk, he is mobbed.
Everyone wants a photograph with the young athlete. We sit down for
lunch of rice and peas and curried goat. Even before he has stuck in his first
spoonful, a little kid walks up. ‘Can I please get a photograph with you?' He
nods vertically with that now famous affable smile, which means yes. And it’s
pretty much the same routine for the rest of the meal. By the end of lunch, not
one person has gone away disappointed. He says that is how young kids get
inspired. He hopes to inspire many more, in Grenada and elsewhere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Michael
Johnson believes that Kirani could break his 400m World record(43.18 sec). At nineteen, he ran 43.94 seconds at the Olympic final. With that head on his tall frame and
the team around him, it’s only faster, faster, faster for the young Kirani
James.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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</div>Inspire a generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07586270678787025042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4471287630393571496.post-40168578860770401002012-08-09T06:13:00.000-07:002012-08-09T06:13:03.335-07:00London2012: The Many Faces That Inspire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I realize how lucky I am! Never did I imagine in my wildest
of dreams, that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a day shall come
when I witness with my entire being, the “Greatest Games on Earth”: The
Olympics. The realization dawned on me not when I moved to London 4 years ago, not
when the BBC moved their studios to the Olympic Park, but when I took delivery
of a white envelope from Royal Mail. My tickets had arrived! I was going to the
Olympics!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With those tickets in hand, I was going to be part of a
historic moment. I was going to tell myself and to those who know me “I was
there at the Games”. Probably put a picture or two on my Facebook page, upload
a dozen videos, tweet from the venues: basically, milk the social media to
announce my good fortune.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then the games began! Can London top Beijing’s
spectacle? I didn’t think so. I thought I’d let the opening ceremony pass and
probably go cycling instead (Wiggins had already inspired me even before his
won the Time-Trials). No luck there. The Opening ceremony virtually imposed
itself on me. Danny Boyle wanted it to start at 9:30 pm to vow the audience.
And Boyle! Did he do it or what! The story of Britain through the ages was
indeed a spectacle. But what caught my fancy, rather moved me, was the sight of
‘young athletes’ chosen and mentored by Britain’s greatest Olympians to light
the beautiful Olympic cauldron. London2012 had lived upto its tagline: Inspire
a Generation!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As days rolled, athletes upon athletes shone. Some by
winning in a spectacular fashion, some by losing with grace. Some young and
new, for whom this was their first moment in spotlight. Some veterans who had
been there, done that and were seeking another shot at glory before they took a
final bow. Some from the mightiest nations with all the resources in the world
and some from the tiniest nations that one would struggle to locate on the
Atlas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of them had one story to tell: Of Grit, Determination,
Success, Failure, Endurance and Winning. As I sat through watching the games,
hearing their extraordinary stories, the choices they made, the blood, sweat
and tears that goes on to make them what they are, I was moved. Suddenly, The
Olympics was not about “being at the Games”. It was much more. It was about
being shaken and stirred by their stories, about learning from them, about
emulating them, about being inspired! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What makes a Kath Granger come back for her fourth Olympics
just to realize her dream of winning a Gold? What makes a Laura Trott emerge
from a collapsed lung to being a double gold winner in cycling? How does Helen
Glover take up rowing just 4 years ago and become a champion? What does it take
for Kirani ‘Jaguar’ James to come from a tiny island nation of Grenada and win
a gold? Why did Oscar Pistorious (Blade Runner) run in a 400m race in the
Olympics against “able-bodied”men? In short, how do these remarkable people
inspire ordinary people? How do they rise above their situations and achieve
their dreams. This, to me, was the true excitement of the Olympics.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here I am then, writing a blog on these extraordinary
people, instead of posting some blurry photographs of myself at the Olympic
games. Wise idea, don’t you think? And my blog fittingly is named “Inspiring
generations: Stories of triumph from the Olympic Games and beyond”. I say
‘beyond’ because I’d eventually like to feature stories outside the Games.
Stories of ordinary inspirational people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I first thought of the idea of the blog, I thought I’d
write based on what was publicly available. Then something wicked struck me.
How about I interview the athletes myself? My own voice sounded quite crazy to
me. Yeah right! Like they have all the time in the world to speak to some
random person who plans to write a blog. For god’s sake, she does not have one
already!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, in the spirit of the Olympics, I decided to give it
a try. And how!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One young man who impressed me through the Games, even when
he was carrying the flag for his country with a contingent of five at the
Opening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was nineteen year old Kirani
James of Grenada, who won the gold for Men’s 400m. I wrote to Olympics Grenada
about my intention to write a story on Kirani, who put me in touch his agent
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaldo_Nehemiah">Renaldo Nehemiah</a> (a former athlete and world’s best hurdler in the 70s and
80s). Renaldo was kind enough to allow me some time with the young Kirani and
his coach <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Glance">Harvey Glance</a>(Olympic Gold medalist in 1976). And there I was, out of
nowhere, having a chat with Kirani and coach Glance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot thank them enough.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So watch out for my next post: The story of Kirani James.
This blog is my humble attempt to <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bring
out the stories of inspirational people, of positive role models in an attempt
to carry the Spirit of Olympics forward: To Inspire a Generation!</div>
</div>Inspire a generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07586270678787025042noreply@blogger.com0