BITS OF MY LIFE-MY FASCINATION FOR OLYMPICS.

How I got so interested in Olympics? Way back when I was about 13-14 years old, I happened to read a book on Olympics from my father’s library.  I still remember that books cover. It had a red cover with the statue of “Discobolus” or the Discus thrower of Miro depicted in white on top of the red background. 

Now, till that time no one talked to me about the Olympics so I did not even know what it was. That book fascinated me so much that immediately on reading it I decided that I should go to the Olympics. 

I had no idea what a stupendous task it can be, but at that youthful time it was sheer enthusiasm without any logical foundation for it. 

Somehow the javelin fascinated me and I decided that it would be the event that should be tried first. So I cut a piece of bamboo pole about 8 feet in length. Luckily the ancestral house where I stayed then had about 3 acres of grounds, some of which did not have any trees. I started throwing that bamboo pole from one side, then run to the other, measured it back and threw it again. 

It went on like that for some time when I thought I should diversify into other events. So in the morning I used to go religiously to the grounds (I must be around 14 at that time) and used to initially run for about 4 rounds of 400 mtrs each which I later extended to longer distances.

There was one school ground near to my house which had a high jump and long jump pits. But for doing high jump I needed the high jump poles. For that I cut two bamboo poles and struck nails into them so that the first nail came about 4 and half feet from the ground. After putting the poles into the ground I used another bamboo pole as the high jump bar between the poles by laying it on the nails on the poles either side. 

I used to do high jump, then cut another longer bamboo pole and even started doing pole vault. After completing my high jump and pole vault, I was running to the long jump pit and was doing long jump and triple jump as well. 

The school had an open ground and no boundary wall. To any stranger that passed by on the road, I must have been a strange sight, a guy all alone jumping away without another soul to accompany him. 

I never even bothered to ask any friend to accompany me. The enthusiasm and inspiration was so strong that it did not matter at all and I had to do it. I had a bicycle on which I ferried the poles each day back and forth between my house and the ground.  

Now practicing like a tinhorn in that manner and going to the Olympics is preposterous and impossible, but then, how was I to know that then? 

After sometime I thought I should also practice hurdles. So I paid some money to a ball picker from Engineering College and he obliged me by giving me about 10 hurdles from the College collection. After that it was an additional burden to me because on some days I used to ferry all those hurdles to the grounds in the morning and practice.   

My practice went on like that for about 6 months when a couple of friends joined me off and on. 

Of course I was also playing cricket then. Sometimes practicing regularly and sometimes not. Of course due to all these activities I became very fit, but did not have any impressive records because I was doing too many things. 

Even when I joined my engineering at Andhra University College of Engineering I continued my practice in the University grounds, although not with the same intensity as before. 

I hardly studied at college and some classmates were calling me  the athlete and some others the Javelin thrower. There were none in my college who could beat me in running (excluding the 100m and 200 m sprints), and jumps and Javelin. 

Of course I never thought of taking up shot put or discuss or hammer because of my frail frame and weight which then was just 52 Kgs. Somehow I could not do well in long jump and triple jump.

I was the champion of my college and used to win the 400, 800, 1500, 5000 & the 10000, and then High Jump, Pole Vault and Javelin. No one could even challenge me in these events. 

When I studied the Engineering degree was of 5 years duration. During that period, I represented my college in 5 inter collegiate and 5 Inter Engineering, i.e. a total of 10 meets, but I did not get any medals in the inter collegiate competitions but managed to get a couple of medals in Javelin throw in the Inter Engineering tournaments. I used to throw between 47 to 50 meters, my best being 49.75 mtrs with which I won a silver medal at the Inter Engineering meet at REC Warangal (now NIT). 

I remember that during that time the national record for Javelin was 74 meters and the state record of Andhra Pradesh was just 56 meters and with my frail frame and lack of focus I was throwing 50 meters. I was later elected as the General Captain of my college for 1 year.       

I could not do well in any single event because I did not focus on it and my energy was dissipated on multiple events. Surprisingly no one including my college physical directors ever advised me on taking up a single event. After college of course I could not continue the practice for obvious reasons.

Anyhow, that part of my life had been a sweet experience for me and I shall cherish it forever. I remember the time when the AU Engineering College Principal once told me during the years sports prize distribution “Krishnayya stand near the dais and do not go down because anyway all the medals are yours”. Such was my dominance at the college in athletics.