Army felicitates CWG medal winners

On the back of a successful Commonwealth Games campaign, the Indian Army on Wednesday accorded a warm welcome to their sportspersons.

After winning numerous medals in the just-concluded CWG, all eyes are now set on the upcoming Asian games. These young Army men, who outweighed the expectations of an entire nation, are now ready for bigger battles.

Felicitating the young boys, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bipin Rawat said, "My special compliments to all the medal winners who have brought glory to the nation and the Indian Army," before adding, "These achievements have been possible due to hard work, dedication, grit and sincere commitment. You have made the nation proud."

Appreciating the efforts of Mission Olympic Programme, the chief added that Indian Army will continue to support the sportspersons to ensure sustained training as well as preparing them for the forthcoming international events, before beginning their Olympics quest.

Experts might say that CWG cannot be compared with the like of Asian Games and the Olympics, where major sports powerhouses such as China, United States and other European countries are in contention. However, for Subedar Jitu Ram (Gold - shooting), NB Sub Neeraj chopra (Gold - javelin) Subedar Satish Kumar (Silver - boxing) and others it was nothing less than winning a battle.

Talking to The Pioneer, Subedar Jitu Rai, from Nepal, said that, "I am following my CO's instruction and it is my duty to obey his order. I am still at the learning stage and want to perform well in the upcoming events."

"I am happy but there is lot more I need to do. Before joining the Army, I was least aware on the sports and sportsmanship," said Rai here at Sam Manekshaw Center, Delhi Cantt.

Encouraging his young troops, the Commanding Officer, Vivek Gupta, Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) mentioned that these boys are focused and dedicated. "To achieve victory in Games, the mental sharpness is equally required with physical strength. With intense training from foreign coaches, we try to bring the best out of them," said Colonel Gupta.

Hailing from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, Sub Satish Kumar is very fond of local sports - Kabbaddi and Wrestling, "I never dreamt of being a part of Indian sports team within Army. I follow the instructions of my coach and I'm able to gain the confidence to perform best in international ring. "I want to compete with Uzbekistan boxing champion Hasanboy Dusmatov," concluded a motivated Satish.

Like Kumar, Manish Kaushik, who bagged a Silver medal (Boxing) in the recently concluded CWG, also dream to face boxing players from Cuba, Rome and England.

When asked what keeps their morale high - all said in one tone- Basic Marksmanship and brotherhood!