Grit and patience… these are the key factors behind any sportsperson’s achievements. Joshna Chinappa, former national squash champion, is a prime example of this. Having seen the highs and the lows of competitive squash, she’s now keen on a career that’s on an upward trajectory — one that is as satisfying as it is productive. Currently she has touched her career best rank of 25.

There was a time, not long ago, when this Chennai girl had the distinction of being almost invincible. None in India could match her. Reaching the final of the World junior singles was the highest level of achievement as a junior. And when she completed her graduation from Ethiraj College and decided to pursue squash seriously, her only aim was to “keep playing as long as I enjoy myself, let’s see what comes of it all later.”

No sacrifice too big

She had no hassles about following a strict diet, besides regular visits to the gym and being away from home and parents. Nothing seemed like too big a sacrifice. But somehow her progress never seemed as fluent as during her junior days. The transition was not easy.

But then, Joshna was always a star when she played under the country’s banner in Continental competitions. The senior pro knew her strengths and was a source of encouragement to her colleagues. Yet the highest she went in terms of the WSA ranking was 28, a number long surpassed by her friend and rival Dipika Pallikal, who at 15 is the highest ranked Indian in the professional circuit. As luck would have it, a little over a year ago, in a tournament, Joshna sprained her right knee so badly that she knew the worst had happened. Medical tests confirmed her fears: a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. Surgery and rehabilitation followed and that meant nearly 10 months off the professional circuit and her ranking tumbling to 71!

But then Joshna’s confidence was not something that would fall apart easily. Grit is her other name, and true to it, she clawed back. Her comeback story began at the Otters club where physical training and sparring sessions restored her to fighting fitness. Thanks to former national champion and good friend, Ritwik Bhattacharya, Joshna could get quality playing time at the club. Then followed a training stint at the Indian Squash Academy, Chennai, where National Coach Cyrus Poncha and Consultant Maj (retd) S. Maniam along with a host of other coaches and players offered help. In London, she was ably guided by Malcolm Willstrop. Suffice to say, Joshna was back to winning or at least was in a position to make an impression. The ten-odd tournaments she took part in proved satisfying; she even won one — the Chennai Open.

Mantra for the future

“To stay fit and keep improving” is her mantra for the future. “If I keep myself fit and remain that way, I am sure my ranking will take care of itself,” Joshna responded to a query on what her aims are for the year ahead. Still she is not averse to revealing what her goal is: to be in the top 12 by year-end. Just a little over 26 now, Joshna believes her best days are still coming. Can the former World junior runner-up rise up to expectations? Only time will tell but, as of now, her focus is on the tournaments ahead, including the prestigious British Open.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports /by S. R. Suryanarayan / April 17th, 2013

New Delhi :

A group of prominent athletes fighting for better administration of sports in India has asked the International Olympic Committee to send a team to resolve the country’s suspension.

“We’ve written to the IOC about the latest developments and requested them to send a team to assess the situation,” Clean Sports India vice president Ashwini Nachappa told The Associated Press on Thursday. “Officials here are trying to mislead the IOC and there is no justification in what they say. They’re only employing delaying tactics.”

The IOC suspended the Indian Olympic Association on Dec. 5 for conducting illegal elections and the election of tainted officials.

It then asked the IOA to liaise with government officials and set a meeting date with the IOC, but the proposed meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, has not materialized.

Former IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who has been corresponding with the IOC since the new body was not recognized, wrote to the world body last week saying the government did not seem interested in a solution.

“While we endorsed your move for a dialogue involving the government, it has gone ahead and constituted a committee to re-draft the controversial sports bill, which is in total breach of the Olympic charter,” Malhotra wrote to the IOC.

Sports minister Jitender Singh reacted with disappointment on Wednesday, saying Malhotra was only trying to delay the meeting with IOC.

“I will appeal to the IOA to quickly fix the dates. If they are not going, then (someone from) the ministry will or I will personally go there and speak to the IOC,” Jitendra said.

The sports code puts an age restriction of 70 years on officials while Malhotra is already past 80. It also puts a cap of three tenures for the main office-bearers but Malhotra has been the president of the Archery Association of India for more than three decades.

Nachappa said the sports bill was inevitable and that long-serving officials should look beyond their personal interests.

“I think the ministry is clear about having the code. That code is being drafted out with good representation from all stake holders. I feel the IOC has taken cognizance of that and trying to give them a wrong impression will not help,” Nachappa said. “This is the only time to do it right. Even if it takes a long time, it will be good for Indian sports.”

The IOA had cited a Delhi High Court order in conducting its polls according to the sports code even though the IOC had asked it to follow its own constitution while meeting an election deadline. Though the IOC does not want government interference, it is not opposed to the Indian body re-drafting its constitution in line with the code, which is based on the IOC’s own constitution.

The IOC’s ethics commission had also advised that tainted officials shouldn’t hold administrative posts, but Lalit Bhanot was declared elected unopposed as the new secretary-general despite spending 11 months in jail for corruption cases related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Suresh Kalmadi, who headed the IOA for 16 years, decided not to seek re-election after graft charges relating to the Commonwealth Games but backed new president Abhey Chautala and Bhanot.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports / by AP / April 11th, 2013