Sport Stars of PSG Tech
By Roopika.R (2012-2016 B.E. Robotics and Automation Engineering)
Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. – Dan Gable
The difference between being successful and otherwise is not the lack of knowledge or the lack of strength, but it is the lack of will power. It is this mental strength that has made these people excel in the sport they are passionate about, besides training to be a talented engineer. Not a day or a week, but years of rigorous training sprinkled with its own share of success and disappointments, has not only paved way for their achievements in sports, but it has also helped them shape up into the bold and energetic individuals they are today.
Akshaya Nandakumar- The Chess Wiz (2014-2018, B.E ECE)
Akshaya was introduced to chess by her dad and she started formal training from her 5th standard. Since then Akshaya has proven to be a sharp student of the game, winning the gold in the National tournament conducted by the School games Federation of India for 4 years (2009-11, 2013) and in the sub-junior State tournament (2009).Also, she was a bronze medallist of the Asian School games (2012). She currently holds a rank of state 2nd in under 19 category, state 4th in the Women’s category and national 3rd in under 17 category. She says that Chess had always topped her priorities and didn’t find it very difficult to cope up with her academics. She feels that it is mandatory for youngsters to get involved in sports, because it is the place to learn life lessons like, handling stress, adaptability and managing people. She aspires to play in the International Juniors Tournament next year. Also, Akshaya wants to a successful CEO like Indra Nooyi.
R.Gangadhar- The Table tennis Champ (2012-2016, B.E Mechanical Engineering)
Gangadhar’s association with the sport began at a very young age of 6, when he got inspired to play the sport by watching it being played by his schoolmates. When in school, he has played the Nationals 9 times, winning each of Gold, Silver and Bronze twice. He currently holds the 2nd place in South zone and 5th place in the All India level. Not surprisingly, he got his admission into the college through the Sports quota. He is very much satisfied with the support provided to him by the college and the government. He feels that more games should be advertised to school children in order to raise the quality of sports in India. He aims to play in an International tournament very soon. His role model is the German Table Tennis player, Timo Boll.
Akshaya Chandiran (2012-2016, B.E ICE) and Shree Sanjana S.A. (2012-2016, B.E Robotics) – The Tennis duo
Akshaya was introduced to Tennis by her father when she was 6 years old and was keen on playing the game since her school days. She held the 32nd second rank in nationals in the year 2008. She feels that one’s involvement in sports is very important for physical fitness and to get to know people from various strands of life.
Shree Sanjana has been playing the game since she was 10 and has taken part in several State tournaments. She was ranked 16th in the under 16 category in 2009. She also excels in academics and says that being involved in sports helped her efficiently manage time and concentrate on academics as well. Recently Akshaya and Shree Sanjana have been selected into the Anna University team, and they have won a chance to play in the Nationals. Coincidentally, both of them share the same person as their role model, who is none other the king of clay, Rafael Nadal.
Shakthi Sharavanan. D- The Avid Golfer (2012-2016. B.E Robotics)
Shakthi got inspired into Golf by his uncle and he has been practicing golf for the past 9 years. He is one of the leading golfers of the city and has won numerous championships like the Captain’s Cup Golf tournament. He had been ranked 4th in Southern India in the year 2008. He has been a part of the TamilNadu team in a National level tournament held in Noida (2013). Also, he has taken part in 2 Professional events which engaged participants from India, Srilanka and Pakistan. Contrary to the common notion of golf not being a sport for the common man, Shakthi says that it is very much like the other games which need sponsorships to play at the professional level and that there are numerous entities willing to be sponsors if the player is talented. He feels that youngsters should take up sports if they are really passionate about them and not just as a mere option of maintaining fitness. He adds that much like any other field, it is the passion for the sport that drives one towards achievement. The Northern Irish golfer, Rory Mcllroy is his role model.
Team Bridge wishes these young Players all success and happiness in their future endeavours and hopes to see them winning lots of accolades for the country.
ROOPIKA R (B.E Robotics, 2012-2016) is passionate about music and classical dance. She loves writing about anything that puts her in awe and also writing is her favorite way of expressing what she feels. She enjoys debating and is always up for any healthy argument.
For comments/feedback/suggestions, please write to thebridge@mail.psgtech.ac.in
