Panaji, 1 November (HS). Madhya Pradesh’s young pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena not only won the gold medal in the 37th National Games by achieving a height of 5.16 meters but also qualified for the World Under-20 Athletics Championship to be held next year.
The 18-year-old from the agricultural area of Dewas in Madhya Pradesh attempted to clear 5.20 meters at the Bambolim Athletics Stadium here, but could not succeed. However, he said that he got an opportunity to learn from it.
Dev Meena, who is training at the Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy in Bhopal, said, the World Under-20 to be held in Lima will be a good opportunity for me to touch new heights.
The sprinter-turned-pole vaulter was selected by the talent scout team of the Madhya Pradesh government in November 2020. She was initially selected for the short sprint, but later switched to pole vault as she showed more interest in the jumping event.
Sanjay Garnaik, former head of Bhopal Athletics Academy, said, she (Meena) has good talent to become a jumper. He has shown interest in pole vault and has made good progress in the last two years.
According to senior athletics coach Garnaik, pole vault is a technical event and takes at least four to five years to master the fundamentals.
He said, “Meena has shown good learning habits. He is always eager to work hard. But process slowly to avoid early exhaustion. We expect better results from them with more training programs in the future.
Despite establishing herself as the leading pole vaulter at the junior level, Meena often works in the fields with her father and believes it is a great way to stay fit.
He said, when I am not at the academy in Bhopal, I like to work on the farm. It’s like good cross training at the gym.
Meena said that taking admission in the Athletics Academy in Bhopal was the turning point for her. “In the village we do not have good facilities or coaching to become national level athletes,” he said.
Garnaik has recently shifted from Bhopal to Bhubaneswar in Odisha, but he still guides young athletes from Madhya Pradesh.
The search is on for a foreign expert to further improve Meena’s pole vaulting skills. “The Madhya Pradesh government has agreed to sanction funds for the international exhibition,” Garnaik revealed. Also for the appointment of a foreign coach.
Hindustan News / Sunil
