Every evening as events at the Asian Games come to a close, the broadcasters show images of the lit-up athletics stadium in Hangzhou. The stadium, dubbed 'the Big Lotus' for the shape of its roof, consists of 28 large and 27 smaller petalshaped structures. The stadium can seat 80,000 people and is as state of the art as it gets.
It was in this stadium that Parul Chaudhary produced a burst of speed to go past Japan's Ririka Hironaka and clinched gold in women's 5,000m. It was her second medal of the Games, having won silver in the 3,000m steeplechase. It was a moment of immense joy for the Meerutbased athlete. But at the same time, it must have been a strange feeling as well.
When she returns to India... to Meerut, the stadium that awaits her can't hold a candle to 'the Big Lotus'. The Uttar Pradesh government-run Kailash Prakash Stadium, which was built in 1951, is in a poor condition with no facilities for athletics. Several athletes are forced to travel to New Delhi, Sonepat, Rohtak, Karnal, Kurukshetra and even Panchkula routinely on pool cabs. All this, just so that they can run.
It doesn't seem fair. When Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath praised the Meerut athletes, Parul and Annu Rani (she won gold in women's javelin), for their achievements at the Asian Games on Tuesday evening, he might not have been aware that both the athletes brought laurels to the country without having a facility for their disciplines in their city.
This story is from the October 05, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 05, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.
A temple, 169 years in the making
Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.