`Young gymnasts can do wonders`

In a country like India where very few people are aware of the benefits of being fit, R Srilatha, a national gymnastic champion and now a trainer, feels that her country men particularly women should follow their neighbour China.
This young trainer, who has perfected the art of teaching people how to maintain high fitness levels, feels that children if trained from a tender age are most likely to bring laurels to the country, as they are most flexible at a tender age.
"When a person has a will power to achieve cutting edge physical ability, no power would stop him in beating a rival in the international arena of the sports, particularly gymnastics," she emphasises.
This young woman who spent almost seven years during her teenage years with the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) is one of the most sought after national players. In the South Zone gymnastic competitions held in Kerala in 2004, she won gold in Beam and U Bar and silver in Round and bronze in Floor Exercise. She took part in the Senior National competitions in the same year in Maharastra. During 2004 Women-Nationals she won two silver medals at the event held in Visakhapatnam. In 2003 nationals held in Maharastra she won one silver and one bronze in two different categories. At national games held in Hyderabad in 2002, she won silver medal and at women's national she won silver medal in 2001. Besides this she was awarded 2 bronze medals in 2000 at Junior Nationals held at Ramagundam.
Srilatha who used to travel distant places to learn the sport during teenage, feels that it was nothing but sheer hard work, which won her laurels. "Until the last decade it was not possible to learn gymnastic, but it is accessible to almost all the young children now," she says.
This national level player, turned trainer represented the state for about eight years. "It was nothing but the encouragement of my coaches Solomon and Sudhan Rao in the early days that I was able to reach the levels which might have been impossible otherwise," Srilatha recalls. The gymnast who stood in first and second positions at both national and state levels, during her teens feels that discipline, respect and regular practice would surely bring glory home.
"If she is training others, it is only because of her patience and perseverance," feels her husband Suresh.

When a person has a will power to achieve cutting edge physical ability, no power would stop him in beating a rival in the international arena of the sports, particularly gymnastics

--Md Nizamuddin