For 18-year-old Annam Tarangini, it’s certainly a dream-come-true moment. The young sports star will be part of the Indian Sepak Takraw team at the Jakarta Asian Games, which began on Saturday. Tarangini is also the only South Indian to be part of the team. A graduate of Koti Women’s College, she’s excited to prove her mettle at the event. She says, “Nothing gives you more pleasure than playing for the country.”
Her two bronze medal wins at the International Sepak Takraw Championship, France, and Beach Asian Games, Vietnam, last year are fresh in her mind. “We have some tough teams to play against but I believe we have a great chance of winning,” she says. A member of the Telangana Sports School, Tarangini took to the sport at a very young age. “After a two-year conditioning camp in 2007, my coach Dhanraj Koyalkar believed I had the strength, gymnastic and dodging skills to make it big in the game,” says Tarangini who’s reached the nationals after playing in the sub-juniors and juniors levels of this little-known sport.
“People are slowly coming to know about this sport. Whoever sees it, gets attracted to it instantly,” says the girl who was born and raised in Khammam. But Tarangini’s sporting journey hasn’t been an easy one. Initially, her father, Venkateshwarulu, was apprehensive about her future as the game wasn’t popular. “But he was convinced after seeing my various victories at national and international championships,” she explains, adding, “Balancing my studies and the sport has been very difficult. Sometimes my exams and tournaments clash. But I try my best to do justice to both.”
This Tekong player in the team is known for her service and the young champion practises nine hours a day. Her ranking is No. 3 at the all-India level. “I spend most of my time at the sports school or at the India conditioning camps,” she reveals. Coach Dhanraj, who trains her, also heaps praises on Tarangini.
