Shourya Ambure, the Indian youth 100 m hurdler following in the footsteps of Jyothi Yarraji, i is the only track and field athlete who will be representing india at the Youth Olympics in Dakar starting at the end of October.
This should be a disturbing sign for India, as they talk about building Olympic talent to shine at the 2036 Olympics. This 17-year-old girl will be 27 that year, and if her training and competitive exposure go well, she should be at the top of her career and able to match the world’s best.
The only disturbing thing is all the talent we have at the grassroots level. I had the pleasure of doing commentary at the recent national youth athletics, and I thought we had tremendous talent, especially the 2 boys who broke national youth records: Neil Samraj clocking 10.48 in the 100m and Alok Malik winning the 110 m hurdles in 13.40 seconds.
At this early stage, we should give these athletes competitive exposure that helps them develop into world-class athletes. The cricket board’s India A tours and U-19 tours are helping Indian cricket and are worth emulating. I understand the Olympics have quotas, but we could give youngsters other competitions at a level a few notches above their achievements.
Looking forward to more exposure for the talented youth of the country
