As the Indian gymnasts begin their Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow on Friday, two young athletes from Puri, Odisha, will be looking to make their mark on one of the biggest stages of their careers.Tapan Mohanty and Tapeshwarnath Das both took up gymnastics at a young age after joining the State Sports Hostel in the coastal town. Pursuing a sport that still lacks widespread popularity in India was never easy, but they kept their heads down, trusted the process and are now among the four Indian men’s gymnasts set to compete at the Commonwealth Games.For Mohanty, making the Commonwealth Games squad is the culmination of years of hard work, and the youngster is quietly confident after an encouraging performance at last month’s Asian Championships.“It was a great experience and I performed well there. I competed against Olympians and international medallists, and I learned a lot by watching how they prepared and competed,” said Mohanty.The gymnast, whose father was a servitor at Jagannath Temple and a former state-level wrestler, believes competing against the world’s best has also changed his outlook.“Seeing them win medals made me realise that I can do it too. It gave me confidence and reinforced the importance of staying focused and working hard,” he added.An all-round gymnast, Mohanty believes his best chance lies in the floor exercise, where he hopes to qualify for the final and challenge for a medal. He had also represented India at the 2023 Asian Games.Preparing for an event of this magnitude has meant weeks of meticulous planning. After the Asian Championships, the Indian team travelled to Essex in England for a training camp at South Essex Gymnastics Club under coaches Scott Hann and Anthony Wise.For Das, the stint in Essex has been invaluable and he believes it will make a significant difference once competition gets underway in Glasgow.“The facilities are excellent, and we’re training with the same equipment that we’ll use during the competition,” Das had said while training there.“We’ve also had enough time to adapt to the weather and conditions here. Had we travelled directly from India, the adjustment would have been much harder. Spending a longer period here has really helped our preparation.”A vault specialist, Das believes the overseas training has further sharpened his strongest event which he loves for the strength and explosiveness associated with it.“Success in vault depends on technique and the execution of skill, and I’ve developed that through years of consistent training,” he said.Apart from hours of practice in the gym, both athletes have also incorporated meditation into their daily routine to stay mentally composed. Equally important has been the bond they share, having grown up in the same city and trained together for nearly a decade.Years after beginning their journeys at State Sports Hostel in Puri, Das and Mohanty now stand on the brink of the biggest competition of their careers. Along with Rakesh Patra, their senior and now coach, they will hope the road from Odisha to Glasgow ends with a performance to remember.
- The squad: Men’s Team: Tapan Mohanty, Tapeshwaranath Das, Swathish KP, Yogeshwar Singh
- Women’s Team: Protistha Samanta, Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshitaa Rewale
