A leap of faith that holds promise for the nation
Talented Long Jumper Premkumar Kumaravel Speaks About His Love For The Sport, The Stage He’s Got With JSW’s Support And The Road Ahead…
For all its intricate architecture and monuments laden with history, it was Thanjavur’s bare and seemingly lifeless athletics track that appealed to Premkumar Kumaravel the most. The JSW Sports-supported athlete couldn’t have enough of the clay coloured surface and tried his hand at every discipline it could host before realizing that long jump was his calling.
“The moment the annual school sports meet was announced I would make sure that I enrolled in as many events as possible. The 100 m, 200 m, long jump, triple jump, high jump – you name it and I would feature in it. But while I enjoyed all the disciplines, I kept doing better at the long jump and the triple jump. I can’t recall the exact moment when I decided that I would jump professionally but I cannot be grateful enough that it happened,” says the twenty three-year-old who was taken into the JSW fold in 2014.
His performances in district level athletic meets caught the eye of Dr. P Nagarajan, his coach and mentor. He immediately urged that Prem should join his academy and train under him to realise his potential. “My family was initially not too keen on me pursuing sports and were reluctant to send me. However, I was able to convince them and I haven’t looked back since.”
Having won a Bronze in the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and Silver in the Asian Athletics Championship in 2013 but consistently falling short of the 8 metre mark, Prem beat the hurdle in 2013 when he jumped to a then national record at 8.09 metres in the 79th Railway Athletic Championship. “It felt good to hit the mark and now the aim is to keep hitting it consistently.”
Prem says he has benefited immensely since being taken care of by JSW Sports and believes that the association is one that he stands from gaining immensely. “With the support of JSW Sports, I have access to some of the best facilities and guidance from some of the best coaches who help with my fitness and strength. I’m sure with them by my side, I can certainly aim for Common Wealth and Olympic glory,” he says.
The year 2017 is an important one for Prem with the upcoming Asian Championship in July followed by the World Athletics Championship in August. “These are big events and the competition is going to be very tough. But I’ve been training hard and have been given all I need to do well.” Over to the pits!
