Odisha’s Jhankaar makes history with global gymnastics scholarship

KOLKATA: Odisha’s Pritti Jhankaar couldn’t have been happier after learning that she has been selected for the prestigious World Gymnastics Scholarship this year.Jhankaar, who trains at the Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar, is among 12 gymnasts worldwide to have earned the recognition this year. The scholarship carries a grant of 5,000 Swiss francs — a little over Rs 6 lakh.Speaking about the achievement, the 16-year-old Bhubaneswar girl told TOI, “I was shocked but happy. My parents found out earlier but didn’t tell me at first. It was my coach who broke the news when I went for practice the next morning, and I couldn’t believe it.”While no Indian gymnast had earlier been selected for the initiative, two beneficiaries who made notable use of the support are Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo and Sri Lanka’s Milka Gehani.Yulo went on to train in Japan and later became a world champion before winning two gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while Gehani became the first gymnast from Sri Lanka to qualify for the Olympics.It is something coach Ankita Baidya also wants Jhankaar to pursue in the coming days, although a final call is yet to be taken.“While we have world-class facilities here in Bhubaneswar, training abroad would allow her to work with more experienced coaches and athletes, which will certainly help her progress,” said Baidya, who has been coaching in Bhubaneswar for the past three years.While Jhankaar’s growth as a gymnast has been eye-catching, Baidya has also been impressed with the support she receives from her parents and the way she balances sport with academics — she scored 95.5% in her Class 10 CBSE exams this year.For now, however, the Bengal-born coach is not keen on rushing things, especially after Jhankaar picked up a left ankle injury earlier this year.Meanwhile, Jhankaar, whose strength is the balance beam, just wants to compete for India and win as many medals as possible. She has already represented India at the Junior Asian Championships in South Korea last year and was part of an exposure trip to Portugal in November.The youngster also participated in the senior nationals for the first time this year and pleased Baidya with her performance. But the coach now wants her to focus on improving her execution.“Indian gymnasts have been doing well as far as difficulty is concerned, but we struggle with execution, and that’s where she will have to develop,” said Baidya, a former national gymnast.While she draws inspiration from Dipa Karmakar, Pranati Nayak and Simone Biles, Jhankaar also follows Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour, who won gold on the uneven bars at the Paris 2024 Olympics.Hopefully, she will be able to follow in their footsteps in the coming days but for now she will have to stay focussed and work hard.