CHENNAI: As she landed at Nagoya for the ongoing Asian Games, kurashchi (someone who plays kurash) Pincky Balhara had a point to prove. After winning silver in the -52kg category at the 2018 Games, Pincky’s career underwent a period of transition. Usually such changes in many sports take a few years. But for Pincky, it was eight long years.
On Monday, those eight years culminated into a bronze medal at the highest level of the sport. Facing Lim Garam of South Korea — the silver medallist from last year’s Asian championships — the 27-year-old from Delhi emerged victorious and assured herself at least a bronze.
Her eyes were on the big prize but a knee injury in the quarterfinals meant that she could not play to her full potential in the last four to win a bronze. “A lot of people are saying my career is over after my third Asian Games. While I agree that the colour of the medal is not what I had aspired for, I am not stopping yet. I have worked very hard in the last eight years for this medal,” she said in a Sports Authority of India facilitated interview.
After the -52kg category was removed, Pincky’s career was at crossroads. Her coach in the Asiad contingent Rajesh Kumar Thakur gave a lowdown of her transition. “It has been eight years since her first medal. She trained continuously over those eight years. She also went to the 2022 Asian Games but couldn't secure a medal back then. This year, she won a medal. She never lost hope and kept practicing,” he told this daily from Nagoya.
‘Hope to see sport grow’
With kurash – a form of martial art that originated in Uzbekistan – not seeing any notable achievements from its athletes here, it slowly slipped down the pecking order. “The sport is not recognised by SAI yet,” Thakur added. “Getting permission for the team to travel overseas is very difficult. Our federation organizes camps using our own individual funds. Recognized sports get grants that allow athletes to train abroad. As for us, we organize our own camps, train at our own centres, or train through the federation. Everything is self-funded,” he said.
While Pincky goes home with another medal, the coach hopes to see change this time. “We have been keeping hope alive since 2018. If the government gives us proper training centers and support, the sport will develop much faster. They (IOA & SAI) only send teams for the Asian Games. For all other qualifying tournaments, we had to bear our own expenses,” he said.
The six-member Indian squad had a brief camp in Saharanpur before coming to the Asian Games. “We could have done better had our team got some international exposure and training before coming to the Games. We need a lot of support from the government,” said Ravi Kapoor, the president of the Indian Kurash Association.