Glory after roller coaster ride
ABUDHABI: Supreet Singh sat quietly in the roller skating rink even as gaggle of his teammates swirled around him in joy. They had clinched a handful of medals to open India’s medal tally at the Special Olympics World Games here on Saturday.
Supreet (1000m) had picked a gold medal after nearly missing the competition. Before the event, his helmet would not fit. Fortunately, the team managed to arrange one just in time.
Hailing from Haryana, Supreet is an athlete with intellectual disability (The Special Olympics are meant for people with intellectual disability), and speaks little. “He doesn’t mingle. He keeps to himself and sits in a corner. After some time, he just falls asleep,”says India coach Mahesh Kumar. On the rink though, Supreet is the one to beat.
In contrast to the quiet Supreet, another gold medallist, Rishabh Jain of Delhi, is hyperactive. He finds it hard to find an outlet for his energy, and skating has given him a purpose in life. He skates for 6-7 hours a day.
The third gold was won by Priya Prakash Gada from Maharashtra. Coach Mahesh has set a target of 50 medals from roller skating. They won 18 on the first day and the coach couldn’t be happier. “You have to be very patient with them. We sometimes have to work with children who get violent. Sometimes parents pull out. They feel bad,” he said. “We teach them by showing colours, cones etc. Slowly they learn and follow the instructions like where to go and turn.”