It was a happy homecoming for the champion Indian carrom team from the World Cup in San Francisco, USA, on Wednesday.
Even though it was K Srinivas and M Khazima who won the individual men’s and women’s titles in a thrilling fashion, it was World Champion Rashmi Kumari who was singing their praise, appreciating their high-quality game, in a chat with Sportstar.
The evergreen women’s champion Rashmi, who has won the national title 12 times, apart from three World titles, expressed admiration for Srinivas finishing brilliantly with a white slam, to emerge champion after trailing 16-20.
“It was a great finish”, said Rashmi.
On his part, Srinivas said that Mohd. Arif had executed nine slams through the World Cup with his brilliant play, and he derived great satisfaction in winning in such great style with a slam, not giving the opponent any chance.
The 17-year-old Khazima, a first-year student of Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College in Chennai, had won a thriller 25-23, 22-25, 25-24 against Rashmi in the final for the women’s crown.
“I have great respect for Rashmi. I practised 12 hours a day to prepare for this World Cup. My father Mehboob Basha and former World Champion Maria Irudayam have guided me”, said Khazima, who won the doubles title with V Mithra.
For one so young, Khazima was quite unselfish and was thinking more about improving the structure of the Chennai Nagar Carrom Coaching centre - something she would talk to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister about as soon as she gets to meet him.
The small structure that gets flooded during the rains, has already produced many national champions, including Khazima’s brother.
It was a triple crown for both Srinivas and Khazima, as they not only won the singles but also the doubles and the team championships. Srinivas won the doubles title with Mohd. Arif.
The secretary of the All India Carrom Federation (AICF), Bharti Narayan, was delighted with the high-quality performance of the Indian players, in sweeping every possible medal except one.
“Preeti Jakhotia of the USA played a superb game right through and beat two of our players, V Mithra in the third-place match and K Nagajothi in the quarterfinals”, said Bharti.
The secretary general of the International carrom federation, VD Narayan said that the standard of the game was going up globally and that the USA had done a great job of hosting the World Cup, acquiring 80 boards from India, and changing the frame to blue for a more impressive screen presence.
“We are planning to have the Asian championship every year, like the way Europeans conduct their championship. We have many plans to develop the game”, said Narayan.
“Khazima played a very aggressive game, pulling off many impressive shots. The loss in the final gives me the motivation to train better in the next four years,”, said Rashmi.
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