On your marks …
Set …
Go …
Such words and sounds which create thrill in any athlete’s heart pervaded all over AVM grounds during the practice sessions that started just one month prior to the CBSE Cluster XIII Inter School Athletics Meet 2019-20. Vigorous and intensive training from our school coach Mahesh Sir became one of the major priorities for the students participating in this meet.
One month later, it was time for these students who were clad with black inners and red jerseys to exhibit their talent in their respective events. The grand event extended from 20th October to 22nd October and was held at Navrachana International School Vadodara (NISV).
On the first day, a magnificent opening ceremony was held, which was graced by former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan. During the ceremony, melodious songs were sung, a meticulous lezime drill of pinpoint precision was performed and an exercise was presented in which small children performed all sort of acrobatic exercises on a wooden pole. In addition to this, there was a well-coordinated walk past, with our school-AVM sixth in the line. Leading our school with the maroon flag was our sports captain – Shrimedbhai, followed by the other participants from AVM. After the wonderful opening ceremony, the torch was lit up by two athletes who had brought laurels to the hosting school. This marked the commencement of the fabulous track & field events!
During this three-day meet, eight sporty, energetic and enthusiastic athletes from AVM participated with hope to bring back glittering medals for the school.
In the under-14 category Ankitbhai Yadav took part in the 100m dash and 200m dash. Despite tough and formidable opponents, with all his spirit, Ankitbhai secured a Bronze medal for AVM!
In the under-17 category, seven contestants from our school had participated. Out of them, Prathambhai from grade 9 took part in the 400m race. He quite successfully cleared the first two rounds which made him enter the strenuous finals. However, he ranked 6th when he took foot on the finish line. Hard luck!
When it comes to showing strength, then javelin and shot-put are the perfect events to exhibit your talent! Vrajbhai Bhakta of grade 11, despite having a backache, threw the javelin to a distance of 36m to snatch a shining Silver medal for AVM! To acknowledge such a great display of talent, the authorities selected him to represent Gujarat in the javelin throw event at the National Level!
On the other hand, Tirthbhai Jadvani threw the shot-put with all his might and vigour. However, the coin did not turn on his side and finished the event by three consecutive fouls. This defeat squandered the opportunity to win a medal in the shot-put event, but it did not affect Tirthbhai’s courage and grit to win a medal in the triple jump event. In this event, Tirthbhai leaped like a tiger and finished with 6 long jumps, out of which the highest extended to a distance of 10.38m! By the way, he ranked 4th in the event!
In addition to all these throwing events was the discus throw event. Armaanbhai Patel of grade 10, with a skilful and accurate throw, unleashed the discus with great might, which landed at a distance of 20.68m. Sadly, he finished 11th despite having big musclemen to face!
When it comes to long distance running, it requires great perseverance and endurance. Shrimedbhai Sangani from class 10, who is bestowed with these amazing qualities, participated in the 800m and 1500m races. In the 1500m race, he managed to finish 5th amidst fierce competition. But an AVM student is never meant to lose hope. In his next event – the 800m race, he made an incredible comeback by finishing the race in 2 minutes and 24 seconds and bagging a Bronze medal for AVM!
Possessing outstanding swiftness coupled with superb stamina, Aarinbhai Bhakta from class 10 was an apt person to compete in the 100m dash and 200m dash. In the case of 100m dash, the fellow competitors were as tough as a rock to beat. In spite of such arduous opponents, Aarinbhai finished the race with the timing of 12.49 seconds, missing the Bronze medal by less than half a second!
From our school Yogibhai, Prathambhai, Shrimedbhai and Aarinbhai had also taken part in the 4 x 100m relay race. 24 teams participated in this event; each of them putting relentless efforts. At the end of the event, our school ranked 7th by finishing the race in 52 seconds. To our pleasant surprise, this timing equalized the previous CBSE cluster record in the relay race.
Finally, if someone would ever want to offer their heartiest congratulations for bringing such amazing honours to the school, then it would definitely be Mahesh Sir, who was the man behind this successful meet for our school!
Reported by: Aarin Bhakta, Shrimed Sangani (Class 10)
