Ladakh lads aiming high
New Delhi, Feb. 5: From the remote landscape of Ladakh, two Armymen will carry India’s hopes at the 21st Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver beginning on February 12. The pair of Tashi Lundup and Jamyang Namgial are among the handful of Indians to ever qualify for the Olympics in the cross-country and Alpine skiing events, respectively.
They will be accompanied by Shiva Keshavan — competing in the luge event — who is representing India in the Winter Olympics for the fourth time. It will be a dream come true for Havildar Lundup and Havildar Namgial from the Indian Army’s Ladakh Scouts regiment — the first Olympians from this region.
"We are proud to represent our country in the Olympic arena. It is a chance to showcase to the world the ability of the Indian skiiers," the 26-year-old Lundup told this newspaper on the eve of their departure to Vancouver.
For Namgial, 25, the sport provides an opportunity to travel around the world, something he couldn’t imagine being born in the remote Saboo village of Leh.
"I love the fact that this sport has allowed me to travel to so many countries which most people from Ladakh cannot even imagine," Namgial said.
Namgial and Lundup were among the seven Ladakh Scouts selected after trials for the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg, Kashmir. It was there in 2002 that the boys were introduced to skiing. They have made rapid progress since then with Lundup bagging a creditable 13th position at the 2007 Asian Winter Games in Changchun, China, while Namgial was a respectable 22nd out of the 40 skiiers at the same event.
The duo also have interesting stories on their initiation into their respective disciplines.
Said Lundup, a native of Achinathang village in Leh district: "I could run long distances in the snow faster than anyone else without losing my breath, and hence it was cross-country skiing for me."
Namgial, on the other hand, believes that the ability to run down a slope faster than the rest got him into giant slalom.
"We get very little support apart from what is provided by the Army for the national event. The international events are only a learning experience for us. In European countries, athletes begin skiing at a very young age while in India there is hardly any encouragement given to winter sports," Namgial said.
The boys from Ladakh now hope that Vancouver will act as the stepping stone for bigger things to come.
Devadyuti Das
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