Chennai: G Vignesh, a class X student and a resident of West Tambaram, recently won a silver medal in national-level tennikoit tournament.
In a chat with News Today, Vignesh shares information about his journey so far and his future plans.
Q: How did you get interested in tennikoit?
A: One day, I saw my seniors playing this game in our school ground. I instantly fell in love with the game and started playing it with my seniors. Then, I approached my physical training teacher to teach me the sport and the teacher trained me.
Q: Can you say something about the preparation for the national match?
A: I practised for about one year before the match. In the morning, I used to practise from 6 to 8 and in the evening, between 4 and 6. I made sure that my game did not interfere with my studies.
Q: How was the experience in playing at the national level?
A: It was very difficult to play because there were many participants from all States. So, it was tough for me to win this competition. During the finals, I competed against a player from Chhattisgarh.
Q: What did you learn from this game?
A: I learnt many new techniques. I have already started practising a few of them which I learnt during the course of the tournament. This has helped me take my game to the next level.
Q: What is your future plan?
A: I want to play for India and win a gold medal. After that I want to become a police officer.
Q: How about your family support?
A: As my family is not well-placed, it was not easy to take care of my sports expenses. My physical training teacher supported me financially and it was because of him that I reached this level. My parents always gave me moral support.
Vignesh can be reached at 98849 50968.
Interview by: S SANTHANA SIMON