Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: November 01, 2023, 16:25 IST
Indian pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena
Indian pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena clinched gold medal on the National Games and certified for the World U20 Athletics Championships.
Madhya Pradesh teenage pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena scaled a peak of 5.16m to not solely clinch the gold medal within the thirty seventh National Games but additionally certified for the World U20 Athletics Championships to be held subsequent 12 months.
The 18-years-previous from the agricultural belt of Dewas in Madhya Pradesh unsuccessfully tried to cross 5.20m on the Bambolim Athletics stadium however mentioned the competitors was a precious studying expertise.
“The World U20 scheduled to be held in Lima will be a good opportunity for me to further scale new heights,” mentioned the trainee of Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy in Bhopal.
The sprinter-turned-pole vaulter, was noticed in November 2020 by the expertise search workforce of the Madhya Pradesh authorities. He was initially chosen for brief sprints, however later switched to pole vault as he confirmed extra curiosity within the leaping occasion.
“He (Meena) has good fundamentals to be a jumper, ” Sanjay Garnaik, former head of the Bhopal athletics academy mentioned. “He showed interest in pole vault and has made good progress in the last two years.”
According to Garnaik, a senior multi-self-discipline athletics coach, pole vault is a technical occasion and it takes a minimal of 4 to 5 years to grasp the basics.
“Meena has proved to be a good learner. He is always eager to work hard. But there is a process of gradually building up to avoid early burnout,” Garnaik added. “With more specialised training programme in future we expect better results from him.”
Despite having established himself because the main pole vaulter on the junior stage, Meena usually works along with his father on the fields and believes it’s a wonderful method to hold match. “When I’m not at the academy in Bhopal, I like to work at the farm. It is like good cross training in the gym,” he added.
Meena mentioned a choice to get enrolled at athletics academy in Bhopal was a turning level. “At the village we don’t have good facilities or coaching to become national level athletes.”
Garnaik lately shifted his base from Bhopal to Bhubaneswar in Odisha, however nonetheless guides the younger Madhya Pradesh athlete.
To additional enhance Meena’s pole vaulting abilities, search is on for a international professional. “Proper grooming is important. The Madhya Pradesh government has agreed to sanction funds for international exposure. Or for an appointment of a foreign expert for specialisation,” Garnaik revealed.
