Sportspersons bag Shiv Chhatrapati awards, say all game to win more medals for India

Dipali Shildankar, 22, who is pursuing her bachelors in commerce from Modern College in Shivaji Nagar, got the award for cycling. For Shildankar, it was the case of hobby turning into profession. Till today, she has added over 23 medals to her tally, three of them at Association of Indian Universities (AIU) Games. Her recent national award was in Kerala, where she won a silver medal. “Cycling has changed my life drastically and I give the credit for this award to my teachers,” says Shildankar who is a part of the cycling team of 24 players that practises at Balewadi and includes five girls. Every week, Shildankar covers over 100 km distance as a part of practice sessions and completes the Balewadi – Lonavla – Balewadi stretch in less than three hours.

While a player is required to focus only on his game in order to excel, the role of a coach is far more complex. A coach is judged by his disciples. For former wrestler and coache Dinesh Gund, who runs Jog Maharaj Vyayamshala in Alandi, there was no looking back. Nearly six of his students, which includes his daughter Ankita Gund have won international wrestling events. He says he has lost the count of successful national players from his academy. The reason for this success, according to Gund is that he teaches wrestling as a life art, rather than a sport. “I’ve many students who have excelled in government services, especially police jobs. Wrestling adds a lot to your personality,” says Gund.

Mountaineer Umesh Zirpe, who led a 12 member team to Mt Everest in 2012, is another proud recepient. “I feel privileged to receive an award named after Chhatrapati Shivaji, who himself was a great mountaineer. I first went to the Himalayas in 1978. With this award, the government has felicitated entire mountaineering fraternity,” said Zirpe.