Meena, who hails from Madhya Pradesh’s agricultural belt of Dewas tried to cross the 5.20m mark but failed to do so. However, the youngster said that the competition was a valuable experience for him.
“The World U20 scheduled to be held in Lima will be a good opportunity for me to further scale new heights,” said the youngster who trains at the Madhya Pradesh Athletics Academy in Bhopal.
Meena was earlier a sprinter and his talent was spotted by the talent search team of the Madhya Pradesh government. He was initially selected for sprints but later he showed more interest in the jumping event.
“He (Meena) has good fundamentals to be a jumper, “ Sanjay Garnaik, former head of the Bhopal athletics academy said. “He showed interest in pole vault and has made good progress in the last two years.”
According to Garnaik pole vault is an extremely technical event which takes four to five years to master. He hailed Meena for being a quick learner but feels that he has a long way to go and needs more specialized training.
“Meena has proved to be a good learner. He is always eager to work hard. But there is a process of gradually building up to avoid early burnout,” Garnaik added. “With a more specialised training programme in future, we expect better results from him.”
He stated how getting enrolled on the athletics academy in Bhopal was a turning point in his life “At the village, we don’t have good facilities or coaching to become national-level athletes.”
Garnaik has shifted from Bhopal to Bhubaneswar but he still guides the teenage pole vaulter. He has convinced the Madhya Pradesh government to produce funds for more specialized training in the sport.
“Proper grooming is important. The Madhya Pradesh government has agreed to sanction funds for international exposure. Or for an appointment of a foreign expert for specialisation,” He concluded.
It will be exciting to see Meena perform at the World U20 Athletics Championship next year. India have not had great representation in the pole vault and one would love to see Meena shine.
Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra feels Abhishek Sharma has shades of his mentor Yuvraj… Read More
Sunrisers Hyderabad hard-hitter Travis Head revealed that the strategy was to watch the ball hard… Read More
Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen has withdrawn from the upcoming Malaysia Masters 2024, a significant… Read More
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been fined $100,000 by the NBA for unsportsmanlike conduct… Read More
Chennaiyin FC, under the guidance of Coach Owen Coyle, is setting the stage for a… Read More
Rajasthan Royals Captain Sanju Samson faced a significant penalty in a recent Indian Premier League… Read More