Bhavani TN – First International Certified Alpine Skiier

Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda won gold by topping the 10-km Nordic ski competition, 1.6-km sprint and 5-km sprint

Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda from Napoklu village in Karnataka’s Kodagu district won three golds in the Khelo India Winter Games on February 25, 2024. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda, from Napoklu village in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, glides over snow slopes the way fish take to water. The athlete, born in a village only 900 m above sea level, won three golds by competing on the snow slopes at an altitude of 4,000 m in the Khelo India Winter Games here on Sunday.

The lean girl from the plains near the Cauvery in Karnataka has sparkled in the winter games with her stunning ski skills. She won gold by topping the 10-km Nordic ski competition, 1.6-km sprint and 5-km sprint.

“It’s all about pursuing your passion. A girl from Karnataka winning winter sports in Kashmir is enough to talk about my passion. We have no snow in Karnataka. I have to work harder than those who compete from the Himalayan States,” Ms. Nanjunda said.

Passionate about mountains, Ms. Nanjunda was formally introduced to mountains when she summited Mt. Rudegera in Uttarakhand as a National Cadet Corps member in 2014. One year later in 2015, she worked through the freezing winter months for a basic course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, and managed to summit Renok peak.

“I work on my endurance at home by running every day. My physical activities puzzle my neighbours and friends at times. It does not stop me,” she said.

Ms. Nanjunda awaits the whole year for the winter months to visit Kashmir and hit the ski slopes. “Skiing makes me feel happy. Gulmarg is the best ski destination. I keep waiting for winter months to be here, as the place has the best slopes,” Ms. Nanjunda said.

International instructor certificate

She became a student of the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM&WS), Pahalgam, Kashmir, in 2019 and received an international instructor certificate in skiing in 2019. In 2020, she became a ski instructor with JIM&WS.

“Principal and the instructor at JIM&WS encouraged me to participate as a cross-country skier. I have participated in all the four editions of the Khelo India Winter games. I am happy that Karnataka has emerged as the number two State in the games this year,” Ms. Nanjunda said.

She is now preparing for the Asian Championship and Olympics. “I desire to represent India in the Olympics in 2026. India has never qualified for cross-country skiing,” she added.

The winter games in Kashmir are proving to be the platform for women, even from non-snow States of the country, to dream big in these sports. From mere four girls participating in the first edition of the winter games in Gulmarg, the number has risen to 20 this year.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India / by Peerzada Ashiq / February 25th, 2024

Bengaluru:

Bhavani TN is like a tourist at her native Kodagu, spending a maximum of ten days in a year. Her last visit was in September. The skier spends more time at Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir and Leh in Ladakh to train in snowy conditions. She has also travelled to Norway and Italy to improve her skills at her own expense in the last two years.

Each foreign training stint costs around Rs 12-15 lakh for approximately 45 days, which includes hiring a coach there, flight tickets, lodging expenses and use of facilities among others. Her parents, coffee planters, bear almost 80 percent of her expenses.

Poor facilities

“The winter sports facilities and the infrastructure in India is not enough — though developing — for us to compete against the Europeans, that is why I go abroad and train. It is expensive. We have one of the biggest mountain ranges with good snowy conditions in the Himalayas. If India has good facilities, it will be great for winter sports,” Bhavani, 27, who began practising the sport seriously around five years ago, told TOI. “Good facilities in the country can be beneficial because of the altitude, which helps in increasing stamina.”

Despite the odds, Bhavani’s dedication has borne fruit with the Kodagu girl set to compete in the 5km cross-country distance freestyle event at the Nordic Ski World Championships in Slovenia from February 21.

Qualifying for the big event did not happen overnight for Bhavani, who gave up her ski instructor’s role at the Jawaharlal Institute of Mountaineering in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021 to pursue bigger dreams.

She won gold and bronze at the Khelo India Winter Games in 2021. She also collected gold and two silver medals in the National Cross Country Skiing Championships in 2022. She featured in the recent Khelo India Winter Games, winning a gold, silver and bronze, facing some tough conditions which helped her prepare for the Worlds bash.

Earlier, she caught the attention of all last December when she clinched a silver (5km skiing) at the Raiffeisen Langlauf Cup in Italy.

Setting bigger goals

Bhavani is buoyant and has set bigger goals for Slovenia. “The World Championships is as big as the Winter Olympics. I know it is going to be tough. As of now, I am looking for a top-ten finish (5km event). If I manage to do that, I will be eligible to compete in one more event — in the 10km,” said the skier, who will leave for Slovenia on February 19.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home News> City News> Bengaluru News / by Ashim Sunam / February 17th, 2023

Kodagu First

a Celebration. Positive News, Facts & Achievements about Kodagu, Coorgs and the People of Kodagu – here at Home and Overseas

Tag Archives: Bhavani TN – First International Certified Alpine Skiier

Karnataka skier from 900-m altitude village wins three golds on 4,000m high slopes of Gulmarg

International instructor certificate

Kodagu skier set for World C’ships