Meenakshi throws a javelin about 30 meters away on the rough ground of Bangaon Academy. Meenakshi is trained by the coach Hanuman Singh there and she is very impressed with Meenakshi. Hanuman Singh, who trained in javelin throw in Bangaon, was a senior to Neeraj Chopra. Hanuman Singh could not achieve what Neeraj achieved in this sport, but he is working to help young athletes who dream like Neeraj Chopra.
Neeraj brought revolution in Javelin throw
Neeraj Chopra brought a revolution in the javelin throw sport by winning the gold medal in the track and field event at the Tokyo Olympics. Thousands of youth of the country now want to shine in this sport. This is the reason why athletics has been seen as a status symbol as well as a necessity in the sports circles of Haryana. Talking about the government figures, the sports budget in the state is Rs 260 crore. There are 1100 registered sports academies in Haryana and 25000 registered sportspersons in them.
One such My Jump and Throw Academy was started in Bangaon in 2010. Whatever may be the lack of facilities in this academy, there is a lot of enthusiasm and morale. It is on this basis that this academy has established its name in a short span of time. Last year in Delhi, girls of Bangaon had won the academy with a full podium performance in the Under 16 category.
Former players are giving right direction to youth
Mahavir Singh of Bangaon has been a state level javelin thrower. Her image has been a bahubali but sport has put her on the right track and now the village girls are working hard day and night to make a career in javelin throw. Mahavir Singh says that Javelin throw has improved his life a lot, otherwise he would have gone down the wrong path and he would have been in jail today.
However, now he is teaching javelin throw to the girls here. He started with both boys and girls. But it was getting difficult to keep the focus on both. So he quickly handed over the boys’ responsibility to a friend of his in a nearby town and decided to focus entirely on the girls here.
In this academy in Bangaon, 10 girls would have been from here while two outsiders, one from the Dalit or tribal community. Mahavir says that if they are well trained and guided well at an early age, then no one can stop them from succeeding after reaching the national camp.
How does the academy run without financial help?
At present, no sport has escaped the glare of the corporates. No sport can progress without financial help. Funds are needed in every sport, but this academy, located in Bangaon, Haryana, is dependent on cash rewards from good performance apart from government help. Whatever cash prizes the players get in the competition gets deposited in the Academy’s treasury.
On this, coach Hanuman Singh says that there is no opposition from the player and his family on the cash prize. The cash prize is the main source of funds for the academy and it is understood by the players as well as their families that what we want to achieve with that money.
This is the reason why girls like Meenakshi coming from poor families, whose household income is less than ten thousand per month, can also dream of winning medals for the country. Meenakshi’s mother earns Rs.300 as a daily wage. While Meenakshi handles the rest of the household chores. Rajbala, a resident of Bangaon, says that I do not know how the javelin is thrown, but how much it can give you. I know this. Rajbala’s 16-year-old daughter Deepika has won gold at the Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula and is with her in every way to help her daughter move forward.
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