“I cannot express my joy in words. Winning a medal for the country is a dream,” says P Indhu. She was a part of the National throwball team that defeated Sri Lanka in the Indo-Sri Lankan Series (score 5-0) held at Bengaluru recently. She is a final year student of B.A Sociology from PSG College of Arts and Science in the city.

Indhu was interested in sports from a young age. “I started playing volley ball and kho-kho from class I. I joined the throwball team in class VIII.” She was soon selected by the School Games Federation of India (SGFL) to represent the state. “I was a part of the Open State National Throwball competition in 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018. The one in 2018 happened at Panipat and I was chosen for the Indo-Sri Lankan series based on my performance in it. I was in college when my mentor, S Mani called me to inform about the selection. I couldn’t believe it initially. I was representing India for the first time.”

The 19 year old says that she practises everyday to keep fit. “I am trained by A Prabhu, coach for the Tamil Nadu throwball team. I run for two hours early in the mornings and play the game at Decathlon in the evenings. Before the Indo-Srilankan Series, I attended a 20-day residential camp in Bengaluru. The training was intense. I was coached by Mohammad Aquib, the national throwball team coach. My team mates were from other states and I have played against them in the state matches. It was fun to get to know them and to learn from them.”

She was a part of all the five games in the series. “The competition was tough. They were also a strong team. I am now preparing for the upcoming South Asian Throwball Series.”

Indhu says that though throwball is a popular sport, it is not recognised in most of the colleges and universities in the state. “I do not know the reason. My college does not have a throwball team. I play with students from other colleges interested in this game during my practice sessions. If more educational institutions support the sport, I am sure there will be more players taking up throwball seriously.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by Susan Joe Philip / February 19th, 2019