High on Ashish

Twenty year old creates history,bags India first ever medal in gymnastics.

On a historic day for gymnastics,when Ashish Kumar won India its first-ever medal,a bronze on the first evening of the apparatus finals,at the Commonwealth Games,the 20-year-old with Popeye-like muscles admitted that his can of spinach was simply his exuberant love for the sport. This was after his strong arms propped him to one of the steadiest of Japanese hand-stands at the IG Stadium.

After daring to perform to a high-difficulty 6.5 points routine,and despite a penalty of 0.1 for stumbling and touching the red-line on his second diagonal line,Ashish finished with a podium-worthy score of 14.475,behind Australian Thomas Pilchers 14.675 and English Reiss Beckfords 14.625.

His little frame belied his prodigious strength built at his Allahabad home as the Indian gymnast showed enough energy in his routine. The nerves,were a different set of demons altogether.

It was a new experience because the pressure to win a medal was tremendous,plus we performed without a warm-up. People have always asked me why India never wins a medal at the Commonwealth Games,now I have an answer, said the trendsetter,who had returned from Melbourne four years ago star-struck by all the medal-winning shooters,but thought despondently that hed remain a participant forever.

When he took off on his first diagonal line though,he betrayed no nerves,as he pulled off some of the toughest twists and tumbles and managed a pair of steady dismounts. However a dodgy landing on the second criss-cross saw him lose balance a wee-bit as his fingertips flicked the red-line,and he was docked 0.1.

Earlier I was content with a low-difficulty routine,now I have developed a tough international-level one with my coaches. I might not have the strong-looking physique of Aussie and English gymnasts,but Ive always had the strength to carry myself on the floor, said the gymnast who had qualified fourth,and jumped to second before being pushed down by the Englishman.

Indias American coach Vladimir Chertkov,said the medal signaled a new chapter for the sport. Its an effort of one year and we have a long way to go and potential to reach there and our foundations are being built. While others have decades of training weve started from scratch,on a blank white paper. But with this medal,Indian gymnastics has arisen, he said,while promising the medal could be a hue brighter on Friday when Ashish Kumar takes to his favourite apparatus the vault.

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Im attempting the maximum difficulty of 7 in first vault,and a 6.6 in the second. Hopefully,its gold tomorrow, he said,adding that a burden was off his back with the medal. Now I can go enjoy myself on vault, he ended. Winning a precious gold along the way on an apparatus in which he scored an astounding 16.200 in the all-round event.