Alfiya was psychologically strong in final: India coach

 

 

By Paritosh Pramanik

DEFEATING same opponent from Maldova in earlier tournament gave Indian boxer Alfiya Tarranum Akram Khan Pathan psychological edge in the final which helped her win the summit clash hands down, felt Indian boxing coach Bhaskar Bhatt.
Nagpur’s pride Alfiya defeated Moldova’s Daria Kozorez 5-0 in the final on Thursday night to clinch her first-ever World Youth Championship gold medal at Kielce in Poland.
Indian women scripted history by winning a total of seven gold medals in the tournament.
Talking with ‘The Hitavada’, India coach Bhaskar Bhatt said the coaching staff was
confident of Alfiya, the ever-improving boxer, winning the gold medal.
“The coaching staff was not under any pressure for the seventh gold. We had won a record six golds which was unbelievable. We were confident that Alfiya will win the seventh gold for India. Alfiya had a psychological edge over her opponent in the final. Her opponent Moldova’s Kozorez was under pressure as Alfiya had defeated her in the Montenegro competition. Alfiya was too strong for her in the final. And she had recorded wins over two strong opponents (in quarter-final and semi-final) which had boosted her confidence.
“We were sure that Alfiya would beat Daria one-sided and we all saw how brilliantly she won the gold. It was a top-notch performance from Alfiya and we are very proud of her,” said Bhatt from Poland.
In the semi-final Alfiya lost the first round but bounced back in the remaining two after changing her strategies.
“After Alfiya lost the first round in the semi-final bout against host Poland’s Toborek Oliwia, we decided to go for an all-out attack in the next round. Had she played defensively, she would have lost the game. We asked her to attack and she followed our instructions and drew level the second round. In
the third round she was all over her opponent and won the match by split decision (3-2),” said Bhatt.
Bhatt said they were sure of Alfiya winning the medal in 81+ weight category. “We are working with Alfiya for the past two years. We all were aware of her capabilities in this weight category (81+). We were 100 per cent sure that she would win the gold,” said the Indian coach.
Bhatt said that the future of Indian boxing is bright with someone from this bunch winning medals at Olympics.
“The future of Indian boxing is bright and I can assure you that in future Olympics you will see someone from this batch winning a medal for the country,” Bhatt predicted.
The seven gold medals till Thursday surprised the Indian coaching staff as they
were expecting around five yellow metals.
“The team’s performance in this world championship has been outstanding. The boxers gave extra-ordinary performance which surprised us (to some extent) and stunned others. Seven out of ten gold medals are won by India which is a very commendable performance,” he said. Bhatt said that as is the practice all the boxers will be rewarded for the superb performance. “The Indian Government has been rewarding players with cash prizes according to their performances and this time, too, the players will be rewarded. The players will have to fill their performance form and Government will definitely reward them,” Bhatt concluded.

 

 

‘Alfiya mixed aggression with calmness well’

 

By Paritosh Pramanik

Alfiya Pathan, who won gold medal at the World Youth Championship at Poland on Thursday, has mixed her aggression with calmness very well which helped her clinch the medal, said NIS coch Ganesh Purohit.
Purohit introduced Alfiya to boxing when she was 14 years old. “Just like in cricket where a player hits sixes, fours and also takes singles and doubles, Alfiya plays aggressively and at the same time keeps herself calm in tense situation. This quality helped her win the maiden gold in youth category,” said Purohit.
“She is a very disciplined and dedicated boxer and even national coaches like her attitude and how she presents herself. She is always ready for sparring and never gets exhausted,” said Purohit praising Alfiya.
The coach said Alfiya will have to work much harder from here on if she wants to climb the ladder.
“We (himself and coach Bhaskar Bhatt) have chalked out a plan for Alfiya. We will now bring down her weight to below 75 kgs. That will help her target for Olympics in future. She has a fatty body and it won’t be difficult for her to lose the weight. We have prepared a diet plan for her and she would definitely lose some kilos very soon,” said Purohit.

‘Golden Girl’ Alfiya to reunite with family after 180 days

 

 Arriving in city today

 

By Paritosh Pramanik

 

IT WILL be after more than six months, 181 days to be precise, that India’s ‘Golden Girl’ Alfiya Tarrnum Akram Khan Pathan, will be reuniting with her family in Nagpur on Monday.

City’s 18-year-old Alfiya created history by becoming the first boxer from Maharashtra and Nagpur to win an AIBA World Youth Boxing gold medal for India recently in Poland. Alfiya, who landed in New Delhi on Saturday night, will be reaching Nagpur on Monday afternoon.

Alfiya’s father Akram Pathan, who works as Assistant Sub-Inspector at City Police Headquarters, Nagpur, received her at the Delhi airport. Both will be reaching Nagpur by train on Monday noon.

“I am very happy to see my dad after so many days. It’s been around six months since I was away from home. It’s time to reunite now. I am eagerly waiting to meet my mother, brother and other family members,” Alfiya told ‘The Hitavada’ from New Delhi.

Her father Akram was a contented man. It was he who had dropped Alfiya at Rohtak in October and received her today, after six months.

“I am very happy to see my daughter who is more like a friend to me. On October 25, I had left her at Rohtak (SAI Boxing Centre). Since then she has been away from home. We will now spend some quality time at home. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there won’t be any the celebrations. But reuniting with Alfiya itself is a celebration for us,” said Akram Pathan.

Alfiya recorded three out of three wins to clinch the gold medal for India. She was the seventh Indian pugilist to win the yellow metal for the country.

In the final, Alfiya outpunched Moldova’s Daria Kozorez 5-0 to win the one-sided final.

How a 5-min pep-talk with parents helped Alfiya win gold

 

By Paritosh Pramanik

IT WAS a five-minute pep-talk with her parents before the final which pumped up boxer Alfiya who won the gold medal in her first attempt in the AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships at Kielce in Poland, Thursday.

Alfiya was over the moon when she defeated her opponent Moldova’s Daria Kozorez 5-0 to register a one-sided win in the gold medal match.

Everybody saw how Alfiya Tarranum Akram Khan Pathan, the 18-year-old pugilist from Nagpur, controlled her emotions on the podium when the Indian National Anthem was played for the seventh time in the day.

Alfiya, who has been away from her home for past several months, training at SAI Centre in Rohtak, said her parents pumped her up before the final bout which helped her in winning her the maiden world youth championship gold.

“I had talked with my parents before the final and they encouraged me. They said they were sure that I would win the gold medal. The five-minute pep-talk pumped me up. They said that I will play an excellent final. They lifted my spirits by saying that I had worked so hard for so many days and months and I will bear fruits. I had talked for just five minutes with my parents and that really pumped me up psychologically,” Alfiya revealed from Poland while talking with ‘The Hitavada’ on Friday.

The plan for the final bout was simple. Go all out and dominate from the word go. The aggressive approach helped Alfiya win the gold-medal bout 5-0.

“My plan for the final was to start aggressively. In the semi-finals, I had lost the first round 0-5 but then I bounced back to win the second 3-2 and then took the final round 5-0 to enter the final. The strategy for the final was simple. I wanted to win the first round one-sided and take the lead. I played as per the instructions of my coaches and kept playing an aggressive game,” said Alfiya, daughter of Assistant Sub-Inspector at Nagpur City Police Headquarters Akram Pathan.

It was an emotional moment for Alfiya while standing in the middle of the podium with a gold medal dangling around her neck and listening to the Indian National Anthem being played in Poland.

“It was a very proud moment for me as well as for the entire nation when the National Anthem was played for the one last time in Poland. It was a surreal feeling. I got a bit emotional, too, but I controlled my-self on the podium. I was so happy to contribute to the country’s successful performance. My medal was one out of seven golds. India started the day by winning the gold and I finished up in the same manner by clinching the yellow metal. So, it was a very proud feeling,” Alfiya narrated her feelings.

The left-handed pugilists’ bout was the last of the day and she had to match the performance of other Indians. Alfiya admitted that she was under a bit of pressure but at the same time was confident of doing well.

“As India had won six gold medals before my bout, I was under a bit of pressure. But I was aware that the final would not be as tough as the semis. Still, there was a bit of pressure of winning the seventh gold medal for the country when all the others had fetched the top spot,” she admitted.

Winning a gold medal in her first appearance in the youth category boosted Alfiya's confidence and she said this will help her in future competitions.

“This gold medal has given me a world of confidence. This was my first tournament in this category after I graduated from junior level. I wanted to cement my place in Indian team (in the youth category) after winning gold at Junior Asian Championship. This was a god-send opportunity for me and I wanted to prove myself. The gold medal is very important for me and it will help me in my future competitions,” Alfiya signed off.

Actor Sonu Sood helps Nagpur girl get ventilator bed

By Paritosh Pramanik

BOLLYWOOD actor Sonu Sood is being hailed as Messiah throughout the country. The cinestar, who has studied in Nagpur in his college days, has helped scores of poor and needy people travel back home during last year’s nation-wide lockdown which was forced due to COVID-19.

The good Samaritan Sonu, who himself is COVID-19 positive and is home quarantined at his Mumbai home, this time came forward to save the life of a 26-year-old Nagpur girl Bharti Kispotta.

On Sunday afternoon, Sonu’s twitter blinked with a message seeking help. Hudson Misal a Nagpurian who works with an airline company, posted a request on twitter seeking help to save her colleague from getting ventilator bed for a COVID patient.

“Need to save one life in Nagpur. Urgently need one ventilator bed. Name of Patient – Bharti Kispotta. CT score-14/25. Oxygen – 56. Age 26. Pls help @sonusood sir. This is very serious,” read the tweet from Misal and tagged Sonu Sood.

Within one hour he got a reply from Sood’s handle in Hindi: ‘Agle 30 minton me ICU bed aur ambulance mil jayegi. Tayyari kijiye. (In next 30 minutes you will get ICU bed and Ambulance. Start preparing).

Though they had to face difficulties in arranging an O2 Ambulance, the patient got a ventilator bed in Wochardt hospital.

Not only arranging the bed for Bharti, actor Sood is in touch with doctors at the hospital.

“Don’t worry, I am in touch with the doctors. she will be given best care,” Sood’s another tweet read.

Misal, thanked Sood for his timely help.

“Thank you @SonuSood for the quick and timely help even when you yourself are down with #Covid. Wishing you a speedy recovery,” thanked Misal through his tweet.

Bharti is said to be stable at the hospital.

Actor Sonu Sood arranges Air ambulance for city’s Bharti

 

ADMITS HER TO HYDERABAD HOSPITAL FOR COVID TREATMENT

 

By Paritosh Pramanik

 

BOLLYWOOD actor Sonu Sood is on one of the “greatest missions” of his life. After helping and arranging transportation for scores of migrants to reach their homes for last one year, Sood has come forward to save city’s airline employee Bharti Kispotta, who is suffering from COVID-19.

‘The Hitavada’ reported on April 19 how the actor had helped Bharti get a ventilator bed in a city hospital after Hudson Misal, a colleague of Bharti, tweeted and tagged the cinestar for help.

However, as Bharti’s condition deteriorated and she needed much better treatment, doctors suggested shifting her to Hyderabad. When Sood was made aware of Bharti’s condition, he immediately decided to shift her to Hyderabad’s Apollo Hospital.

As per the information, the Bollywood star, used his contacts to arrange an air ambulance for Bharti.

Bharti, a resident of Motibag and daughter of a retired railway employee, was airlifted to Hyderabad on Thursday afternoon.

“Doctors came to Nagpur from Hyderabad on Wednesday and monitored Bharti’s condition for the whole day. After medication and observation at the night, they decided to shift her to Hyderabad in an air ambulance. At around 11 am Thursday, Bharti was taken to Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur. She was then flown to Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad in air ambulance at around 12 noon,” said one of the close associates of Bharti.

In the morning, actor Sood tweeted, “Greatest Mission. Today an air ambulance is carrying Bharti from Nagpur to Hyderabad. Support us if possible.”

At 2 pm, Sood tweeted again: Mutthi khol ke to dekh…Shayad teri haath ki lakiro me kisi ki jaan bachana likha hoga.

Sood, who himself is in isolation after being tested corona positive, has arranged the air ambulance for Bharti on his own. If sources are to be believed, he will be footing the bills of entire treatment of Bharti, which would be around Rs 40-50 lakh.

Meanwhile, Bharti’s cousin sister, Nidhi Kispotta, has also appealed to citizens through social media for help. “My sister is suffering from coronavirus. We need your help to provide for her treatment,” wrote Nidhi on ketto.org through which she is doing a fundraiser. She also posted a photo of Bharti.

Since last Sunday, after arranging a ventilator bed for Bharti in Wockhardt hospital, Sood was in touch with doctors at the hospital.

“Don’t worry, I am in touch with the doctors. She will be given best care,” Sood’s another tweet read.

Bharti's family and friends are confident that ‘the Messiah’s’ efforts will bear fruits soon.

Captain Sunita keeps personal Tragedy aside, plays for Amma FC

 

 

SLUG: The Nagpur team lost their second match to Mumbai District champions Footie First 7-0

By Paritosh Pramanik

 

KEEPING her personal loss aside, Amma FC captain Sunita Yadav decided to play help her side against a strong rival in the ongoing Western India Football Association (WIFA) Women’s Football League, played at the Cooperage ground on Saturday. The league is a qualifying tournament for the AIFF Indian Women’s League (IWL).

Sunita woke up to tragic news of passing away of her grandfather. But the Amma FC captain decided to keep her personal loss aside and played team’s second match against Footie First. Her presence in the team was visible as Footie First FC were unable to breach the defence initially.

“I got the news of the passing away of my grandfather Radhuram Yadav (90 years) in the morning. I was shattered but we had the match to play immediately. Anyhow, I wouldn’t have managed to attend the funeral hence I decided to play the game,” said Sunita, who recently resigned from a PET job to play for Amma FC in the competition. Sunita returned to Nagpur in the evening and said she would decide whether to return back for the tournament, later.

Though Amma FC lost the match hands down by seven goals to nil, they managed to hold their opponents from scoring more heavily, like they had in their first 14-0 win over Pacangan FC, Satara.

Nagpur team played well for the first 18 minutes but an allegedly debatable foul on the edge of the box by Akansha Shelare forced referee Irfan Shaikh award a penalty to Footie First, Mumbai.

Their star striker Jyoti Chouhan made no mistake in slotting the ball home in the 19^th minute.

“The foul took place clearly out of the rectangle. It was really a harsh decision by the referee. That broke the tempo of our team,” coach Annie Paul told ‘The Hitavada’

That goal put Amma FC on the back foot and in the 33^rd minute hit the back of the net to double the net for the Mumbai District champion team.

Jyoti, who had slammed nine goals in their opening 14-0 win against Pacangan FC, Satara in the opener, scored two goals in the 38^th and 45^th minutes to complete her hat-trick and give Mumbai a 4-0 half-time cushion.

But despite Jyoti scoring a hat-trick, Amma FC defence tried their best to hold the prolific player and frustrated her at times over the defence line.

Jyoti was on the target once again in the 54^th minute and Mamta Kumari added another in the 81^st to make it difficult for Amma FC to make a comeback.

With hopes diminished Amma FC replaced goalkeeper Bhuneshwari Pendam with Stanzin Tsomo in the 84^th minute but Jyoti managed to squeak one past her, too, a minute before final whistle.

Coach Annie, despite her team losing heavily, was all praise for her side. “I know that it is a big loss but I am proud of the girls. They really played well. Once again, the lack of combined practice was visible. But they will bounce back in the next three games,” said Annie.

In another match, Mumbai district runners-up PIFA FC thrashed Pacangan FC, Satara 11-0. Sasmita Behera (2^nd, 27^th, 42^nd, 53^rd, 84^th), Marbarin Nongrum (24th, 50^th), Betsheba Kharsyntiew (63^rd, 88^th) and Renu Bala (35^th) scored the goals.

In the last match of the day, Kenkre FC, Mumbai thrashed Next Sports Academy, Palghar 9-1. Techi Kkung (8^th, 15^th, 19^th), Harshika Jain (43^rd), Ritika Goveas (12^th), Komal Badgujar (16^th), Kavya Jaiswal (80^th, (90+3), Nabam Kamyi (85^th) were the scorers for the winners. For Palghar, Purva Kamble (14^th) scored the consolation goal.

Amma FC take on mighty Footie First today

 

Principal Correspondent

 

WITH a convincing win in their opener, Amma FC, Nagpur would look to stunning formidable Footie First Football Club, Mumbai in their second league encounter of India Football League Qualifiers match of Maharashtra Zone’s Women’s Football League at Cooperage Ground in Mumbai on Saturday.

Their opener was a cakewalk against Next Sports Academy, Palghar whom they thrashed by five goals to nil on Thursday.

However, to keep their winning run intact, Nagpur girls, led by midfielder Sunita Yadav, will have to be on their toes for 90 minutes of play.

Footie First have recorded the biggest win of the tournament so far when they drubbed Pacangan Football Club, Satara 14-0 in their first outing.

The Mumbai Women’s League champions Footie First have a strong line-up with Jyoti leading from the front. The forward has scored nine goals in their opening encounter and would be eager to keep her good show going.

Amma FC defenders will have to be more vigil on the defence line.

Rakshanda Amle Kiran Jadhav, Nazah Mistry and Vinita Bhalavi will have to mark Jyoti along with Mamta Kumari, Priyanka Gurung and Amrapali Jadhav.

A lot would depend on Nagpur’s midfielders comprising Rakshanda Sonekar and captain Sunita to play as the link between the forward line and defence.

Coach Annie Paul had said that the team had missed bagful of chances in the opener which has irked her. “We could have won by a much bigger margin had we not missed sitters. This has to be changed in the coming matches,” Annie had told ‘The Hitavada’.

Nagpur will have to rectify their mistakes of missing out on easy chances in their first match. Forwards Annie Anthony, Cristal Gomes, Sonekar, Nikita Shende will have to grab the opportunities and try to take early lead.

It would be important for Amma FC to play a well combined game. Though they hardly had any combined practice in Nagpur due to coronavirus restrictions, they have played one match and had a good training session on Friday at the Cooperage ground. This would help them in adjusting themselves and prepare for a tough fight on Saturday.

“I am sure the players would give a tough fight to Footie First,” said Annie on Friday. “They should play without any pressure. This is only their second game and there are many more games to play,” she added.