Shubham turns silver into gold after move to Goa

Panaji: At the last edition of the National Games in Gujarat, Shubham Debnath finished with a silver medal.

He was representing Bengal and then switched sides. Now donning Goa colours at the National Games, the yogasana athlete topped the chart in traditional individual final by a narrow margin to clinch gold at Campal on Monday.

The 20-year-old registered 63.67 to pip Haryana’s Abhishek Singh (63) and Mohammed Firoz Sheikh of Karnataka (62.92).

“Last year, I missed the gold in Ahmedabad. I was close but didn’t get depressed. I worked hard and when I got the call to represent Goa, I did not want to let go of this opportunity. I knew where I had to improve. Everything went as per plan,” said Shubham.

Once in Goa, the gold medallist got the best treatment.

“From diet, to training, massage, hot-water spa, guidance, I got everything here,” said the winner. “Whenever needed, I was given dry fruits too. It’s so different to life in Bengal where it’s a struggle everyday.”

The yoga journey for Shubham started as a 10-year-old. At first, he was interested in drawings and a poster of a girl back-bending changed his life.

“I was stunned to see that and wondered how someone could be so flexible. I told my mother that I want to do yoga. Initially, she stopped me, but I kept pleading till she finally agreed,” he said.

For the first few months, Shubham tried to learn by looking at books. In school, his teacher Deepak Mondal honed his skills.

“I was natural and whatever poses he showed I had already learnt from books. You could say my mother was my first coach,” he said.

Steadily Shubham climbed up the charts, but, more often than not, failure greeted him during yogasana competitions in Bengal.

“Some people didn’t like me. From top in various tournaments in 2013, in the next two years, I didn’t even finish in the top 10. Those failures shaped my success today,” said Shubham.

On Monday, with the gold medal up for grabs, Shubham stayed calm. There was no pressure, or stage fright, resulting in a flawless performance.

“In Gujarat, I made some mistakes. I learnt from that experience. For one year, I got all the support from Goa. Life is so good here,” said Shubham, who wants to continue his association with the state.