play India The Youth Games (KIYG) are a bag of surprises, and Mohammad Anees, the lone swimmer in the small 13-member Lakshadweep contingent, has brought with him an ‘ocean of wonder’.
Ever since he fell in love with the sport, Anees has been spending hours in rough seas, practicing his craft, hoping to become one of India’s top swimmers, mostly training by himself.
“The swimmers that we all train in the Arabian Sea. It is very tough and you need a lot of skill and courage to go there every day,” said Ahmed Jawan Hasan, chef de mission of the Lakshadweep contingent here for the Khelo India Youth Games.
But that doesn’t stop young Anees, who fights all alone in the turbulent waters.
Anees is one of the many young athletes from Lakshadweep who wants to play for India one day. But unlike most people like him in the rest of the country, he has to train in temporary facilities.
“We are smaller in every sense of the word, than our island, which consists of just 36 islands and covers 32 sq km,” Ahmed Jawan said.
Apart from Anees, his 13-member team includes 12 athletes. Six boys and girls practice in a small ground in Kavaratti.
“It’s big enough to hold a 200m event. But even more often than not it’s dirty and uneven. Some of them end up playing football, which often becomes their only practice for days on end. goes,” he revealed.
Recently work has started on 400 meter synthetic track. “Once this is done, we can expect boys and girls to join this group,” Hassan said.
For now, every time they need to compete in major events like the National or Khelo India Games, they travel to Ernakulam where a synthetic track is available.
“That is the best we can do. Still, our athletes are winning medals. Mubasina Mohamed brought laurels to the island by winning gold in javelin throw and bronze in long jump at the 32nd South Zone Under-14 Athletic Championships. Munira Munir grabbed the gold while Nihala won the silver medal in the same competition.
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