Gymnast Swathish’s journey: From losing his way to finding joy on Still Rings

On his double tumble, single twist, tuck dismount — i.e when he landed with a deep full-in, and one balanced step on earth — Swathish sported a punch-pleased grin. The 12.450 score flashed soon after. It would put him 11th in a field of 58 Rings performers at his Glasgow debut. He is second reserve for an apparatus final. But the two seconds of strength each — 4 in all, was a pause that was pregnant with potential.

 

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National coach Rakesh Patra, a Rings specialist himself, had put in 6 months to swing in his controlled Swallow ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Though Patra had admitted he only tweaked the Indian squad’s movements in a short camp — polishing the hand bend, swing, (called Azarian) and how to recover the body for the third rotation of Rings after impact of Floor Exercise and Vault, it helped push up the Execution Score.

The initial strength work, difficulty training, motivation and convincing Swathish he shouldn’t be wasting away his life back in Kolachery, Kannur, was done by another Sports Authority of India coach, Abhishek Sharma.

Rough start

It was MP-born gymnastics coach Abhishek’s first appointment after coaching levels exams — at a SAI scheme centre in Kerala in 2014. It was the worst time to start there because the men’s programme was being shut down. Swathish was irregular, disinterested, strong and very talented.

His father had passed away, and one day his mother who worked cleaning and sorting jobs at people’s homes, came frantically looking for her son, even as Abhishek had sought permission to run a ‘Come & Play’ training for beginners where Swathish dawdled in at times.

The mother told the coach Swathish wasn’t at school, nor at gymnastics. He had begun to tag along with loafers, drunks and assorted addicts, getting home late, or sometimes not at all till next morning. “I called him over and in front of his mother gave him a scolding asking him if he didn’t care for her struggle in raising him and who would support her if not him. It was harsh, but needed,” Abhishek recalls.

 

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The daily training he started next day morning, never slackened. State and Khelo India medals arrived, and the State CM would felicitate him in 2019, handing over Rs 8 lakh that stabilised his financial situation. During the pandemic, Swathish would take online classes and continue training on smaller elements.

Still Rings is a strength-heavy routine with 9 elements and a dismount, and Swathish got better even as he followed his coach to his next posting at Kolkata. “I had asked many talented gymnasts if they would train at Kolkata. Only Swathish arrived. He called from the railway station and lived with us few months.”

Abhishek would take him through the swings, strength holds (like vertical Iron cross, horizontal Maltese or swallow), as he became one of the best in Swallows.

Swathish coach Abhishek Sharma

What impressed commentators was his transfer from a solid Iron cross (hands outstretched, feet perpendicular) into a Maltese swallow. Second was the eye-popping Iron cross, front giant to handstand, swinging with Azarian felge (complete wheel rotation with body as diameter) through to second Maltese.

The likes of Canadian William Emard of (13.850) and Kiwi Daniel Stoddart (12.800) are known to weave in a Maltese or two. But for an Indian to pose with stillness where neither the body, nor rings or suspensions, shake or waver, was impressive. He missed the final by a mere 0.350.

The slow roll backwards to straighten arms between rings was technically professional and solid — shoulder and core strength combined with mental sturdiness. It was a metaphor for when Abhishek had persuaded Swathish to forget his meandering, aimless ways. Even as he awaits a chance as reserve to make it to finals, Indian gymnastics has once more found a talent worth backing, alongside the technically strong Tapan Mohanty.