Paulose heads to Athens with pride

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">HYDERABAD: Rower P T Paulose took to rowing in 1996 on the behest of the Indian Army coach Dileep Kumar, when posted at the Madras Engineering Group, Bangalore.<br /><br />After winning golds at the Nationals and also a silver (coxed eight) at the Asian Championships in 2003 and a bronze (coxless four) at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the 26-year-old''s career has moved forward like a dream.<br /><br />Incidentally, he is the first Indian to qualify (at Shanghai, China, in April 2004) for the Olympics in the single scull event and is only the third rower from the country to make it to the Mother of all Games.<br /><br />The junior commissioned officer of the Indian Army, who hails from Peravoor in Kannur district, Kerala, spoke to <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The Times of India</span> at the Rowing Academy, Hussain Sagar, where the National team is holding its camp.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Were you confident of qualifying for the Olympics?</span><br /><br />I knew there was a chance as I only had to finish within the top six at the Olympic qualifiers in Shanghai. My confidence was high after bagging medals at the Asian Championships and Busan Asian Games. So, I had no problem in making it to Athens by finishing sixth.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What helped you bag the Olympic berth?</span><br /><br />I''m fortunate to have been trained by excellent coaches. I will always be grateful to Ismail Baig, who selected me to the Indian Army team. S P S Yadav and M T Binu have also contributed to my rise. Romanian coach Nicolas Vulpe, whose training methods and technical knowledge, helped me become a better rower and win medals at the Busan Asian Games, Asian Championships and also Olympic qualifier.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">How was the reaction at your home town after you qualified for Athens?</span><br /><br />My family members were naturally ecstatic. Though snake boat races are popular in Kerala, rowing is not a famous sport. <br />So, many people did not know exactly what my sport was all about. I had a bit of explanation to do. Our district will have three representatives in Athens as Anju George and Bobby Aloysius are also from Kannur.</div> </div>