After coming up the hard way, Supriya on top

BY Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Feb 10: Supriya Gogoi, part of the Indian women kho kho team which clinched the gold at the ongoing South Asian Games, had honed her skills at the dusty lanes of her village in Tengakhat.

Supriya’s childhood background was humble, without money, luxuries and resources. Her mother Amiya Gogoi has to work day and night to sustain the family with a meager wage. But that social and economic strife did not hold Supriya back and she rose by dint of her sweat and tears.

Kho kho had attracted Supriya when she was just 10.

Efforts of local sports organizers like Bapdhon Gohain, Uma Gohain, Arb, Ra and Kalia saw her get a berth in the district team.

It was during the inter-district competitions that Supriya caught the attention of the State selectors.

“I must thank Assam Kho Kho Association president Rajib Prakash Baruah and secretary Altaf Hussain without whom I would not have got this honour,” Supriya told The Sentinel.

She has so far participated in six tiol events. The South Asian Games is her first intertiol event and also her first indoor outing.

Supriya says the State has got talents, but they need grooming.

“We have talents. The girls here can run fast but they lack technique unlike their counterparts in Maharashtra. We need to provide specialized training to our players,” she said.

She said the pre-event training at Gujarat helped her a lot to perform better in the SAG.

Supriya rued that kho kho is not given importance like cricket and tennis. “It may be because the game is not glamorous…We need better infrastructure and more indoor stadiums in the State,” she felt.