Not just cricket, this

The Commonwealth Youth Games throws up new stars in different sports.

With the markets crashing, Sachin Tendulkar writing yet another glorious chapter in his illustrious career and a home Test series being played, it won’t be unfair to say the Commonwealth Youth Games being held in Pune have’nt attracted much fanfare.

Fanfare or not, it has been a case of total domination by Indian athletes at the Youth Games. The Games, seen as the ideal platform for youngsters to prove their mettle on the bigger stage, have thrown up quite a few names which could do the country proud for years to come.

Shuttler Saina Nehwal justified her tag as the supreme favourite by winning the gold medal. This 18-year-old player came into the Games in a rich vein of form and showed why she is considered as one of the brightest talents in the game at the moment. After a good showing at Beijing and breaking the top 15 barrier in the world, the gold is just another feather in Saina’s cap. “I am satisfied with my performance here and delighted to have won the gold,” she says.

The young boxers seemed to have been buoyed by the showing of their senior counterparts at the Beijing Olympics. They won a total of seven medals including three gold, a silver and three bronze medals. Manipur boxer Nanao Singh Thokcham and Balwinder Beniwal won gold for the country.

But the star of the show has undoubdtedly been Veerdhawal Khade. The 16-year-old from Kolhapur did a “Phelps” in a Pune by taking home an impressive final booty of three gold medals (50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle) and three silver medals (200m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle).

What was even more impressive, in every individual event he superseded it with a better timing each time. Khade also broke three national records and two Games records as well in the process. His performaces at Pune have proved why this boy is talked about in the sporting circles.

The young shooters have done extremely well and their performances give a lot of hope for the next generation of athletes coming in. They added three gold as well as a bronze to the nation’s kitty.

The performance of youngsters in games other than just cricket is getting noticed. Is it a new beginning?