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The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
High Performance Centre to come up by August
Former India star paddler Sharath Kamal's dream has finally come true. The High Performance Centre (HPC), to be funded by the Tamil Nadu Innovations Initiatives (TANII), a wing of the State Planning Commission of the Tamil Nadu Government, will be up and running by the end of August, at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (TNPESU) at Melakottaiyur. The proposal was approved by the Executive Committee of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) here on Thursday. Speaking to The Hindu, J. Meghanatha Reddy, Member Secretary of SDAT, said the HPC has received a funding for three years from TNII which help stabilise the Centre. It was also decided that Sharath would be HPC's Advisory Director. 'The funding from TNII will comprehensively cover the infrastructure, upgradation, equipment, manpower, expert coaches for the facilities,' he said. The 42-year-old five-time Olympian was thrilled with the development. Sharath said his vision is to develop talents from other districts of Tamil Nadu and make the HPC into a National Training Centre and tie-up with World Table Tennis (WTT) to bring in coaches and players from abroad. The 10-time Senior National champion is keen to hold a WTT Youth Contender either by November this year or Nov. 2026 at TNPESU. 'It's been a long process. It took us a while to figure out how to get the HPC into shape. Am happy it will be starting soon. I had in mind to start a National Training Centre and in 2022-23 when Meghanatha Reddy sir called me, the seed was planted in my mind. Slowly it took shape,' Sharath told The Hindu. Sharath said he is planning to rope in reputed fitness trainer Ramji Srinivasan and his team of physios and strength and conditioning coaches into HPC. 'Of course SDAT will have a say on it,' he said. Sharath insisted that HPC will have residential facilities for players while adding that he would finalise his team of coaches in the coming months.
Hans India
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
'Couldn't believe it was real': Aanil Mohan's dream becomes PKL history
Mumbai: The phone call that changed everything came when Aanil Mohan was fast asleep. By the time he woke up, his life had changed. U Mumba had just secured his signature for a staggering Rs 78 lakhs – the highest-ever bid in Category D in PKL history – but the young man from the small village of Jasui in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district was still processing the magnitude of what just happened. "At first, I couldn't believe it," Aanil recalled. "When I found out that U Mumba bought me for Rs 78 lakhs, I just couldn't believe it was real." In the world of kabaddi, where Haryana dominates the headlines and produces the superstars, Aanil Mohan represents something different – a dream that refused to be confined by geography. His journey began in the most humble of settings: the dusty courts of his village, where he first fell in love with the ancient sport that would change his destiny. "I used to play kabaddi in my village. It was in 10th grade where his talent first caught the eye of his coach. But even then, success seemed like a distant dream for a boy whose family's biggest supporter had been his brother – a man who had chosen the army over the mat," Aanil said "My brother used to play more than me. He joined the army, and then my family supported me," he explained. In those words lies the sacrifice that rural Indian families know so well – the passing of dreams from one generation to the next. The real transformation began when Aanil made the brave decision to leave the comfort of his home in the mountains and venture into the kabaddi heartland of Haryana. Under the guidance of Ashan Kumar, former coach of the Tamil Thalaivas, he spent two to three years honing the craft. "Then I played for the Himachal Pradesh team in the Senior National," he said with quiet pride. But even representing his state couldn't have prepared him for what was to come. The Pro Kabaddi League Player Auction is where dreams collide with reality. As team owners battled fiercely for his signature, with Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba locked in an intense bidding war, Aanil was blissfully unaware, lost in sleep. "I was sleeping when it happened. By the time I woke up, it was over." When reality finally hit, his first instinct was beautifully, heartbreakingly human. "I called home first," he said. In that moment, the boy who had traveled from village courts to national teams to record-breaking auctions remembered where it all began – with a family that believed in him when believing seemed impossible. Now, as he prepares to don the U Mumba jersey alongside legends like captain Sunil Kumar – the man fans call 'Captain Cool' – Aanil carries with him not just the hopes of his family, but the dreams of every small-town athlete who dares to believe in the impossible. "I will get to learn a lot from him. It's very exciting to play with him," Aanil said about his captain, his voice filled with the reverence of a student ready to absorb every lesson. As an all-rounder who loves raiding, he's ready to make his mark in the most competitive kabaddi league in the world. "I have never played in such a big league before. I want to learn a lot." But perhaps that's exactly what makes his story so compelling – the humility of a record-breaker, the hunger of someone who knows that the biggest stage is also the biggest classroom," he concluded.
News18
01-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
Aanil Mohan's Record-Breaking Bid Transforms His Life Overnight: 'Couldn't Believe...'
Last Updated: Aanil Mohan's life changed with a call from U Mumba, signing him for INR 78 lakhs, the highest bid in PKL history for Category D. The phone call that altered Aanil Mohan's life forever came while he was fast asleep. By the time he woke up, his world had been transformed. U Mumba had secured his signature for a staggering INR 78 lakhs – the highest-ever bid in Category D in PKL history – and the young man from the tiny village of Jasui in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district was still coming to terms with what had just happened. 'At first, I couldn't believe it," Aanil recalled. 'When I found out that U Mumba bought me for Rs 78 lakhs, I just couldn't believe it was real." In the kabaddi world, where Haryana often dominates the headlines and produces superstars, Aanil Mohan stands as a unique example – a dream that defied geographical limitations. His journey started in the humblest of settings: the dusty courts of his village, where he first fell in love with the ancient sport that would eventually alter his destiny. 'I used to play kabaddi in my village," Aanil said. It was in 10th grade that his talent was first noticed by his coach. However, success seemed a distant dream for a boy whose biggest supporter was his brother – a man who had chosen the army over the kabaddi mat. 'My brother used to play more than me. He joined the army, and then my family supported me," Aanil explained. In those words lies the sacrifice familiar to rural Indian families – the passing of dreams from one generation to the next. The real transformation began when Aanil made the brave decision to leave his mountainous home and venture into Haryana, the heartland of kabaddi. Under the guidance of Ashan Kumar, former coach of the Tamil Thalaivas, he spent two to three years perfecting his skills. 'Then I played for the Himachal Pradesh team in the Senior National," he says with quiet pride. But even representing his state couldn't have prepared him for what was to come. The Pro Kabaddi League Player Auction is where dreams meet reality. As team owners fiercely competed for his signature, with Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba locked in an intense bidding war, Aanil was blissfully unaware, lost in sleep. 'I was sleeping when it happened. By the time I woke up, it was over." When reality finally hit, his first instinct was beautifully human. 'I called home first," he says simply. In that moment, the boy who journeyed from village courts to national teams and record-breaking auctions remembered where it all began – with a family that believed in him when believing seemed impossible. Now, as he prepares to don the U Mumba jersey alongside legends like captain Sunil Kumar – the man fans call 'Captain Cool' – Aanil carries with him not just the hopes of his family, but the dreams of every small-town athlete who dares to believe in the impossible. 'I will get to learn a lot from him. It's very exciting to play with him," Aanil says about his captain, his voice filled with the reverence of a student ready to absorb every lesson. As an all-rounder who loves raiding, he's ready to make his mark in the most competitive kabaddi league in the world. 'I have never played in such a big league before," Aanil admits with touching honesty. 'I want to learn a lot." But perhaps that's precisely what makes his story so compelling – the humility of a record-breaker, the hunger of someone who knows that the biggest stage is also the biggest classroom. For a sport long dominated by players from traditional kabaddi strongholds, Aanil Mohan represents a beautiful disruption. He's proof that talent knows no boundaries, that dreams don't need permission, and that sometimes the most extraordinary stories begin in the most ordinary places. With ANI Inputs First Published: July 01, 2025, 15:10 IST
