Team Blitz India
MUMBAI: Mallakhamb helped a college student defeat life’s distraction and help University of Mumbai win the men’s team gold at Khelo India University Games 2023 in Guwahati.
Sohail Hussain Sheikh’s inspiring journey in life was recently shared by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. When Sohail lost his father, his mother Farida was worried that her two daughters and son would take on bad habits and hence enrolled them at a Mallakhamb training centre.
Mallakhamb is a traditional sport in India, where group of gymnasts perform aerial yoga using wrestling grips on a stationary vertical pole.
Sohail was just nine years old and was studying in standard four when he started training under Sunil Gangawane in Chembur, Mumbai, along with his elder sister Saheen. Their mother bore the expenses by working as a maid in various households.
Saheen is now a coach and contributes to the family’s expenses. Sohail continued to pursue the sport and on February 19 played an important role in helping University of Mumbai clinch the men’s team gold in the 4th Khelo India University Games 2023, Ashtalakshmi, at the Surusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati.
He scored a total of 8.20 points on pole, 8.40 on rope, and 7.90 in hanging category as University of Mumbai secured top spot with 123.50 points, beating Madhya Pradesh’s Vikram University by almost fourpoint difference. Sohail is pursuing a B.Com. degree from Bunts Sangha College in Mumbai.
Khelo India University Games is a multi-discipline sports event aimed at promoting sports and fitness among university students in India. A vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, it provides a platform for young athletes to showcase their talent and compete at the national level.
