KOCHI: She did not get to enter the Paris Olympics. However, Alappuzha athlete Megha Pradeep ended India’s 11-year-old wait for an Asian Championship medal, by securing bronze in the C1 women’s 500-metre event at the Canoe Sprint Olympic Qualifiers 2024 held in Tokyo.
And though the feat marked the end of the Olympics journey of the 19-year-old from Kainakary for now, her tenacity has helped paddlers realise that a medal on the big stage is not unattainable.
“More than the Asian Championship medal, I see it as a milestone. I firmly believe that the hard work I put in since my lower primary school days has paid off. And for any of my achievements, the credit for this too goes to my coach and family,” says Megha, adding that getting to be a part of a world-class championship like Olympic Qualifiers was a great experience.
“Compared to previous years, training camps started late this time. This delay was reflected in overall performances,” Megha says.
“After joining as a havildar in the Indian Army, my further participation will be under the services team. However, I still harbour the dream of an Olympic gold medal,” says the former Sports Authority of India rafter.
V V Sunil, her coach and former national-level athlete is on cloud nine following his disciple’s achievement. “An Asian Championship medal in the senior category is one of the biggest achievements for a paddler. For me as a coach, her performance befits Olympic entry,” he smiles.
However, he adds that, canoeing in the 500-m category is now out of Olympic events. “Only 200-m and 1,000-m categories are included in Olympic standard events. When she concentrates on any of these, Megha can do wonders.”
Sunil has six medals in the Manipur National Games in 1997 under his belt. “Canoeing requires high technique, where an athlete has to control the vessel on one side. So, an athlete rafting from the right side should kneel on the right knee,” he explains.
“A standard flat water canoe is 5.25-m-long and 8 inches wide and weighs 12kg. Proper control over the board while rafting and covering the distance decides the winner.”
Lauding Megha for the achievement, Kainakary grama panchayat president M C Prasad says, “For us, this is Kainakary’s achievement too. We encouraged her participation in events and the functioning of the academy in each phase. Her recent achievementcould not be celebrated due to the Model Code Conduct enforced given the elections,” he concludes.