GUWAHATI: Fortune perhaps was not on his side, but young Hameshaniah Suiam is certainly not disheartened after missing out on a chance to represent India in a world kickboxing event in Russia.
The 22-year-old promising kick-boxer from Shangpung, a village in West Jaintia Hills, had flown to New Delhi on Tuesday with the hope of getting a visa cleared, albeit at the eleventh hour, from the Russian Embassy for taking part in the event.
The main draw of the 9th Diamond Cup WAKO Kickboxing 2018 got under way at Anapa on Thursday. A 49-member Indian team had left for Russia on Wednesday.
“I landed in Delhi by Tuesday noon but had to wade through the busy traffic before reaching the embassy by 3pm. But to my dismay, I learnt that the office hours were till 2pm only. What’s even more unfortunate was that the embassy happened to be closed on Wednesday,” Suiam told The Shillong Times in an exclusive interview over phone from New Delhi on Thursday.
Meghalaya sports and youth affairs minister, Banteidor Lyngdoh had written a letter addressed to the Russian ambassador which Suiam had taken with him to Delhi. But as luck would have it, the letter could not be given.
“I was told at the visa application centre that an invitation from the organisers would have been the last resort but despite attempts by the federation, the letter never came. It was perhaps too late (as May 30 was the last date for offline registration) and I have none but myself to blame for the turn of events,” the modest athlete said, hours before taking an evening flight to Guwahati.
A four-time gold medalist and ranked 28th in the world (minus 57 kg/tatami points fighting), Suaim had to take a bank loan of Rs 1.3lakh which was deposited with WAKO India Federation on May 22, almost a week later than the scheduled date.
“The process of taking part in a world event takes at least a month. But given the funds constraint, things did not move at the right pace this time. I guess it is a lesson for me to learn and not to repeat the mistake,” Suiam said.
The sports minister had also sanctioned Rs 1.50 lakh for his participation in the Russia meet.
“Now I am eyeing the world championships at Ukraine in November 2019. But before that, there are at least about four international events lined up, which are key as the more I participate in world events, the better is the scope for improving my rankings,” he said.
“There is another meet in Italy from June 14 but I will not be able to take part as there is hardly any time for the formalities,” the B. Sc final year student of St Edmund’s College, Shillong, said.
The young man is also keeping his fingers crossed for kickboxing, not an Olympic discipline, to be included in the 2022 National Games in Meghalaya.
“The host state gets an option of including at least two disciplines it has excelled in and on that ground I am hoping that kickboxing makes it in the 2022 National Games. In the Jharkhand National Games, karate was included as a discipline,” he said.
The Meghalaya State Kickboxing Association (MSKA) had in a latch-ditch effort taken up Suiam’s case with the state government a few days prior to his departure.
Four other kick-boxers from the state, who were earlier supposed to take part, had to withdraw, with the association citing funds constraint as the primary reason.
MSKA, which was formed last year and is yet to be affiliated to the Meghalaya State Olympic Association (MSOA). The association has been able to nurture talented kickboxers in a short span despite lack of infrastructure and funds.
Kickboxing in Meghalaya is currently split between two warring associations – MSKA and the Meghalaya Association of Kickboxing Organisations, formed in 1998 and affiliated to MSOA since 2005.