PM interacts with record-breaking sprinters

Hailing sporting excellence and acknowledging the remarkable achievement of the athletes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday had a lively conversation with sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur on Sunday during his monthly radio broadcast, Mann Ki Baat.

Both athletes recently broke national records, and the Prime Minister said the men’s 100-metre race at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition was widely discussed across the country.

Modi highlighted the performance of athletes who set new national records across different events at the recently concluded competition in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

During the event, he said, four national records were broken in four different events. “Gurindervir Singh, Vishal TK, Tejaswin Shankar, Dev Meena, and Kuldeep Kumar — these friends set new records in different categories. First of all, I extend my heartiest congratulations to all of them,” he said.

“One event that is being widely discussed across the country is the 100-metre race. Within just two days, the national record in the men’s 100-metre race was broken three times. The two athletes who achieved this feat are Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur”, he said.  The two athletes then spoke about their sporting journeys and experiences during the radio programme.

“It has been a very special interaction with Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur, offering a glimpse of why the future of Indian athletics is very bright,” PM Modi said.

Referring to a swimming club run by Saji Valasheril at Aluva, Kerala, Modi said more than 15,000 people, including specially abled individuals, have learnt swimming there.  “Saji ji has also taught swimming to Divyang children. Lying behind this effort, there is a hidden pain too,” he said.

The prime minister said Saji started the initiative after a boat tragedy a few years ago, where several students had died.

“That incident shook Saji ji deeply. He thought, if the children knew how to swim, perhaps many lives could have been saved, and that’s where his campaign began,” he said.