Maharashtra girl Tai Bamhane wins gold in 800 m at Khelo India

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Coach Vijender Singh’s expression was a combination of confidence and nervousness, as he stood in the gallery at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ahead of the girls’ 800 metre final in the athletics competition in the inaugural ‘Khelo India School Games’ here on February 2, 2018. He did not engage in conversation with anyone till the race was completed.

Diminutive Tai Bamhane, his ward, was up against the Kerala duo of Priscilla Daniel and Sandra AS. And, from the distance, he only had to watch her body language when she entered the track. He need not have worried as Tai Bamhane – a Warli tribal from western Maharashtra – ran the two-lapper with the assurance of a seasoned runner. The 15-year-old student of Marathi-medium Vidyaprabodhini Prashala (Nashik) stayed ahead of her rivals, both of whom had clocked faster times in the semifinals heats on February 1, and won in 2:13.37. As Tai chugged home to gold, Vijender Singh broke into a smile, according to a PIB release. The tactics he had scripted had worked.

For more than a decade and a half, Vijender Singh has been discovering, encouraging and guiding raw talent from the backwaters. He has been the guiding spirit for a number of athletes like marathoner Kavita Raut, distance runner Sanjivani Jadhav, Ranjit Patel, Kisan Tadvi and many more, working quietly at the grassroot level to keep producing champions.   He added, “Nashik’s climate and the fact that its nearly 700m above sea level helps the middle- and long-distance runners. Yes, the tough life that some of these girls are subject to because of their family backgrounds – they carry 20 to 30 litres water on their heads for a good 15km also prepares them as strong athletes.”