As Indian gymnasts begin their Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow on Friday, two young athletes from Puri, Odisha, are looking to mark one of the biggest milestones in their careers.Tapan Mohanty and Tapeshwarnath Das both took up sports at an early age after joining the State Sports Hostel in the coastal town. Following a sport that is still popular in India was not easy, but they put their heads down, trusted the process and are now among the four Indian men’s gymnasts who were supposed to compete at the Commonwealth Games.For Mohanty, making the Commonwealth Games team is the culmination of years of hard work, and the youngster is quietly confident after his success at the Asian Games last month.“It was a lot of fun and I did well there. I competed against Olympians and international medalists, and I learned a lot by watching how they prepared and competed,” Mohanty said.The gymnast, whose father was a minister at the Jagannath Temple and a former government fighter, believes that competing against world champions has also changed his mind.“Seeing them win medals made me realize that I can do it too. It gave me confidence and reinforced the importance of staying awake and working hard,” he added.An all-round gymnast, Mohanty believes her best chance lies in the gymnastics, where she hopes to win the finals and bag a medal. He also represented India at the 2023 Asian Games.Preparing for such a big event has meant many weeks of careful planning. After the Asian Games, the Indian team went to Essex in England to train at the South Essex Gymnastics Club under coaches Scott Hann and Anthony Wise.For Das, the stint in Essex has been invaluable and he believes it will make a big difference when the competition starts in Glasgow.“The facilities are very good, and we are learning with the equipment that we will use in the competition,” said Das while training there.“We have also had enough time to get used to the weather and conditions here. Being here for a long time has really helped our preparation.”A defense major, Das believes overseas training will add to his favorite powerlifting event because of the intensity and explosiveness associated with it.“Success in the locker room depends on skill and skill, and I’ve been teaching for years,” he said.Apart from hours and hours of exercise, both athletes have incorporated meditation into their daily routines to maintain mental stability. Equally important has been the bond they share, having grown up in the same city and trained together for nearly a decade.Years after starting their journey at the State Sports Hostel in Puri, Das and Mohanty now stand on the brink of the biggest competition of their careers. Together with Rakesh Patra, their head coach and coach now, they hope that the road from Odisha to Glasgow ends with a memorable performance.
- Team: Men’s Team: Tapan Mohanty, Tapeshwaranath Das, Swathish KP, Yogeshwar Singh
- Women’s Team: Protistha Samanta, Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshitaa Rewale