New Delhi: Continuing to live her sister’s dream, India’s Nasreen Shaikh is all pumped up for the upcoming first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from January 13-19. Nasreen’s sister had dreamt of representing India in Kho Kho but she failed to do so because of a lack of support from her family.
Having taken up the sport with her support and encouragement, Nasreen fulfilled her sister’s aim by winning a gold medal as captain of the Indian team in the 4th Asian Championships.
Only the second Arjuna Awardee in her sport, Nasreen now wants to raise the bar higher by adding a World Cup gold medal to her kitty.
As she gears up for the World Cup, Nasreen’s journey has been an inspiration for others. But her ascent to the top has been full of hurdles and not a bed of roses.
Nasreen’s Kho Kho journey started when she was in class three, as she took up the game inspired by her elder sister. Her sister didn’t get support from her family to pursue her dream. Hence, with motivation and support from her sister, Nasreen embarked on the journey to achieve her sister’s dream.
“My elder sister couldn’t get the chance to play Kho Kho. She was the eldest in the family and our financial condition wasn’t great at that time to support her in any sport. I was very young at that time and she was not allowed to go and play Nationals. So she motivated me to fulfill her dream of playing for India and winning a gold medal. She took care of me properly and because she didn’t get the chance, she laid her focus on me and the first time I felt I should play Kho Kho was after seeing my elder sister,” said Nasreen recounting how she took up Kho Kho.
Hailing from a humble background with her father selling utensils in a roadside market in Shakurpur in Delhi to make a living, Nasreen didn’t let the odds hold her back. Her contribution to the sport also led to her being awarded the Arjuna Award last year. She is now aiming to make her family and country proud by shining bright in the upcoming Kho Kho World Cup.
With India set to host the first-ever World Cup, the 26-year-old Nasreen talked about how the tournament can help Kho Kho players gain people’s recognition and love.
“When I started playing, I dreamed of playing in the Kho Kho World Cup, which could provide the players recognition and popularity. Now, we are finally going to get recognition from this upcoming Kho Kho World Cup. It is a matter of pride for us,” she said.
Nasreen also shared how the introduction of sports science in their sport has reduced the risk of getting injured by revealing the weakness and fitness of the body.
“We are becoming aware of our fitness through sports science. It also helps us identify our weaknesses, which we can then cover easily. We think that we are fit but this helps us in becoming aware of which part of our body is weak and is causing injury. Thus, we can then work on it. I am very happy with this concept.”
By successfully hosting the World Cup after organising Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK), a franchise-based league in India, the Kho Kho Federation of India is hoping that the sport makes it to the Asian Games one day, just like kabaddi, another Indigenous sport did two decades back.
–IANS