Finance
Medhali Redkar of Maharashtra won gold in the women’s 1M Springboard Diving competition at the 36th National Games Aquatics Competitions on Friday.
The 24-year-old won gold with a total of 171.50 points, beating out statemate Hrutika Shriram. The gold medal was a huge accomplishment for Medhali, a gymnast-turned-diver who switched sports in 2015 and had recently finished fifth in the National Championships in Guwahati.
When Medhali Redkar’s gymnastics career hit a snag, her coaches suggested she try diving because the two sports require similar core strength and acrobatic abilities.
Unsure whether it was the right decision, Medhali Redkar relied on her belief that no new idea should be rejected without being tried out first and took the plunge.
Seven years later, the 24-year-old from Mumbai broke state-mate Hrutika Shriram’s stranglehold on gold medals by winning the 1M Springboard competition here on Friday.
“I had made the team in only one event, and since it was the last event, the fatigue of waiting was setting in. But I worked on that with my psychologist and came close to my best-ever (performance) to win the medal,” said Medhali.
Speaking about her transition from gymnastics to diving, Medhali said she initially used to practice both sports when she joined coach Tushar Gitaye in the Prabodhankar Thackeray Swimming Pool back in 2015.
“Though gymnastics and diving need similar abilities, the techniques are quite different. In diving, you go head first in the water while in gymnastics you have to land on your feet.
“I wasn’t getting the right feel initially. But in the school nationals that same year, I finished fourth or fifth but was very happy with the way I executed my dives and decided that I could do this for a career,” she said.
“Hopefully, diving will also soon get there. I will be happy to contribute to its success with my performances,” she added.
Source:OCN
