HYDERABAD : This is a golden period for Indian women in sports,” said Neha Agarwal Sharma, former Olympic champion and table tennis player, at an inspiring event organised by YFLO at T-Hub, recently. Besides Sharma, the event featured two other extraordinary personalities in conversation with Ridhi Jain, YFLO Chairperson: Dr Maral Yazarloo-Pattrick, an Iranian motorcyclist and fashion designer and Michelle Kakade, a desert marathoner who holds Limca & Guinness Book records and is commonly known as India’s ‘Queen of Endurance’.
In conversation with CE, Neha shared some tips on how to encourage young girls to join sports: “A lot has to change about the perception of sports. I came from a very conservative family. Things changed for me because I played sports. Secondly, the push from schools makes a lot of difference. Sports period is not taken seriously in schools. Teachers and parents have to understand and give equal importance to sports as academics.”
Talking about recent controversies in sports, such as retirements due to sexual harassment, drug abuse, etc, the former Olympic champion said that the safety of women athletes is still an issue which is a limiting factor for many parents not to encourage them to pursue sports. But things are changing slowly, she quickly added.
As a Chief Partnerships Officer at OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) — a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping Indian athletes win Olympic and Paralympic medals — she also helps nurture young talent in sports. OGQ supported the training of nine of the 15 Indian medal winners in the last three Olympics. At the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, it supported 10 of the 19 medal winners for India.
Hoping for a big win for Indian athletes in the upcoming Paris Olympics, she said, “In sports, gender is not a barrier. The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris are just a 100 days away. Last time, we got seven medals, and this time, we might reach double digits.” Agarwal was the only female table tennis player to represent India at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She won a gold medal at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games.
She mesmerised the audience at the event with a video showcasing the indomitable spirit of Archer Sheetal Devi, who overcomes all odds despite being without arms. “We should be humble and not complain,” she said, adding that if given a level playing field, girls can outshine boys.
Dr Maral Yazarloo is not only a biker but also a multifaceted individual, excelling in various fields including fashion design, art, marketing, and advocacy for women’s rights. She told CE how biking across the world has added value to her life. “I started 13 years ago with Harley Davidson— my first bike. Then I got a Ducati and then a BMW. My world ride started in 2017, in which I tripped 64 countries in one go. Till now I have covered 113 countries. I think it did make a difference in who I am today. That’s the achievement that I wanted to gain. I wanted to add meaning to my life,” she said. “There are a lot of sacrifices that need to be made if you are to achieve something,” she added, recollecting how she left for a year just the next day after her marriage.
Responding to a question about safety measures while biking, Yazarloo said, “I learned how to assess my safety attitude. The conditions for biking are different in different countries. For example, you will find somebody on the road all through the day and night in a populous country like India. But that is not the case with South America, where miles together you don’t find any person on the road.”
Reflecting on safety concerns, such as rape cases during biking tours, she said, “If anyone is raped, she doesn’t need a judge. Don’t wait, punish him severely and finish him. That is how my country, Iran, does it. Men think twice before making a rape attempt.” She has lived in Iran for 20 years and has been living in India for the past 21 years now.
Michelle Kakade, a seasoned desert marathoner, believes there is no age barrier to running. “I did the Golden Quadrilateral, a 6000 km run at the age of 45. I see people much older than me running and participating in many marathons,” she said. She mentioned that getting sponsorship for her runs is very difficult while Cricket stands as an exception. She is known as the queen of ‘Four Deserts’ for her remarkable achievements in endurance footraces. The ‘4 Deserts’ series is hailed as the ultimate test of human endurance, with races spanning across the hottest, coldest, windiest, and driest places on Earth.
Ridhi Jain told the audience that the event was an inaugural one in a series of events on breaking barriers in sports and beyond.