Coimbatore: Nineteen-year-old K Kamalraj, son of a labourer, was a happy man on Sunday after seeing his name in the list of top 20 athletes of 2017 released by the Athletic Federation of India.
The triple jumper is one of the two city boys, who have found a place in the list. Currently, Kamalraj and 24-year-old Mohammed Salahuddin, a senior triple jump national champion, are undergoing training at a national camp at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, getting ready to prove their mettle in international events this year.
Kamalraj had recently set some records in the junior triple jump with his 16.41m record, making him the first rank holder in Asia and seventh in the world in the junior category. His coach Mohammed Nizamuddin said the youngster hailed from a very poor family. "He travels every day from Tirupur to the city for education and practice," he said.
He got into sport only to avoid studies, Kamalraj, who studied in a government school in Samalapuram in Tirupur, said. "I was scared of exams and to escape them, began taking part in sport. When I was in class X, sports teacher Mohan asked me to take part in triple jump. I won my first medal in it. After joining the PSG College of Arts and Science, Nizamuddin sir coached me, and my life changed," he told TOI.
Kamalraj is preparing for the world championship and the Asian Games. "While I do want to represent India at the Olympic Games, athletes in India lack the support and sponsorship to achieve their dreams. My family is dependent on me as I am the only son. For the events I attended in 2017, my mother had to pledge her jewellery to pay for my accommodation and tickets," he said.
Salahuddin has been lucky as both his parents are national champions in athletics. "The problem with coaching in India is that we follow the pattern set by some world champion. We need to create fitness routine and prepare exercise regime for each athlete based on their strengths and weaknesses. Only then will we be able to achieve in international events," he said. He has been a five-time all-India university champion, five-year consecutive junior national champion, Tamil Nadu State Meet record holder, Bharathiar University record holder and South Asian Junior gold medalist. "Right now, I am focusing on the Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia in April and the Asian Games that will be held in Jakarta in August," he said.
Coach Nizamuddin said he was very proud of the boys as they were the only ones from the city taking the baton forward. "If we get the right kind of support, our boys can win at any event," he added.
