Bhubaneswar, March 18: Odia gymnast Rakesh Kumar Patra has made the state proud by emerging champion in the three-day 55th Senior National Gymnastics Championship that concluded in Gurgaon on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old won the title for all-around performance and six gold medals and a silver medal in various categories. Now, he eyes a seat in the upcoming Olympics for which he is training in Mumbai. However, the gymnast's heart is in Puri and he misses his hometown badly.
"I come from a joint family. I met them two months back. I miss my cousins a lot," said Patra over an email chat.
Rakesh began training at the age of nine, inspired by his uncle Suvendu Patra who had participated in international-level gymnastics championships. In his first year of training, he emerged the state champion in his age group and even got selected at the Puri Sports Hostel.
In 2002, after he made his national debut in the sub-junior championships, he helped the Odisha boys bag the team title. He grabbed two gold, two silver and one bronze in Junior National Championships. Over the years he has won many medals and even taken part in some major international events. He has represented India twice in Commonwealth Games and twice in Asian Games and four times in the gymnastics world championships.
"My father Dayanidhi Patra always supported me and my entire family encouraged me to pursue my dreams," said Rakesh. The Puri boy, an ardent Jagannath devotee, feels blessed for his achievements. "I miss going to the temple nowadays. I paid a visit to Lord Jagannath almost everyday during my last trip home about two months ago," he said.
He is at present waiting with bated breath to know if he is selected for the Rio Olympics. "I have fifty-fifty chances. I will get to know in a couple of days if I'm in or not. But no doubt it is the biggest dream of any sportsperson," said Rakesh who plays for Services team.
When asked how Odisha could produce more gymnasts like him, Rakesh says the coaching needs to get better.
"Of late, sports has been given a lot of attention in my home state which makes me immensely proud. We have great potential in gymnastics, but there should be more exposure in coaching methods to improve training standards. I'm sure it will be taken up shortly," signed off the young gymnast. He had emerged all round champion in senior nationals in 2013 too.
