The 100m sprinters are part of the three-member contingent from Ladakh, the third being their coach, Zakir Hussain. The National Games is the first time the Union Territory (UT) has sent a contingent for a senior level multi-sport event. “We got a wildcard entry,” coach Zakir said. “There are only two participants from Ladakh, as sport is still in an infancy stage in Ladakh. This is the first time any athlete from Ladakh has participated in the National Games. Earlier, we were part of J&K, but our athletes could never make it to the state contingent,” the coach said. “As athletes from the Jammu and Kashmir region had better facilities, the ones from Ladakh could never match up to be part of the squads. We are sprinters, but we don’t run on synthetic tracks, which we have none,” Sajjad, 26, said. Shujat was a boxer but traded his gloves for running boots.