Bhuvaneshwari wins 1st National Games gold for Goa in kalaripayattu

Panaji: Bhuvaneshwari Jadhav opened Goa’s medal tally at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand with a gold in kalaripayattu, a first for the state.

Hailing from Shiroda, Bhuvaneshwari was Goa’s lone representative in the sport at the National Games after another qualifier opted out due to examinations. She won gold in the kaiporu category (above 60kg girls section), getting the better of her opponent from Delhi with a golden point.

Earlier, Bhuvaneshwari, who has a Commonwealth Championship bronze in karate to her credit, put it across Rajasthan (17-6) and Haryana (14-5) with comparative ease.

An Indian martial art form that originated in Kerala, kalaripayattu was introduced as a medal sport at the National Games during the last edition in Goa but the state drew a blank. Athletes from Kerala won 22 medals, including 19 gold medals.

This time, however, the Kalaripayattu Association of Goa was “super confident” after Bhuvaneshwari made the switch from Maharashtra to Goa.

“Bhuvaneshwari won gold at the nationals in Kerala (in Aug last year) and was the favourite to win at the National Games too,” secretary Deepak Amonkar told TOI on Thursday. “She lived up to her big reputation in Uttarakhand and delivered gold. We are all delighted.”

Technical official Ranjan Mullaratt felt the gold medal is not just a personal milestone for Bhuvaneshwari, but an inspiration for young martial artists. “Goa has made a strong statement in the sport and we hope to see even more talent emerging in the future,” he said.

There was no confirmation yet from the organisers whether kalaripayattu is a medal or a demonstration sport at the National Games in Uttarakhand.

“There’s a pending court case so a final decision has not yet been taken. Whatever the decision, it does not take away anything from Bhuvaneshwari’s effort,” said Amonkar.

IOA president P T Usha has said that the association will decide on the fate of kalaripayattu, based on the Delhi high court order. The Delhi HC had on Jan 15 ordered that “a suitable decision shall be taken for reinstating kalaripayattu as a competitive sport in the 38th National Games”.

The gold was the only bright spot for Goa on Thursday as swimmer Shrungi Bandekar finished fourth in 400m individual medley, while the football team surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against Assam.


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