National Games: Takes two to tango for wildcard Ladakh athletes

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.

“We are both 25-year-old and started the sport only two years ago after the bifurcation of the state. I left boxing because we have no facilities at all. Running without a synthetic track was still better than boxing without a ring and kit,” he said. Sajjad said they are late starters, but if given the opportunity, they can do well. “Normally athletes start when they are 10–12 -years old. We started very late, but I still feel we can do well. We live in a high-altitude region and have very good stamina. All we need is good facilities and trainers who can guide us.” The coach said the UT is starting from scratch to develop sports and register athletes, but they need funding to hire good coaches and procure equipment.

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