LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Ranchi, June 6: Eitu Mandal of Jharkhand had already made history before her first raid in the Khelo India Youth Games on Saturday. At the age of 13, the baby-faced kabaddi player is the Games’ youngest kabaddi competitor.
The daughter of a tractor driver began playing kabaddi at the age of eight. She has quickly progressed through the divisions, becoming a member of the Under-18 Youth team, despite the bulkier women around her.
My parents were concerned about my safety. “However, I’ve never been terrified,” she said after her team’s first match against Maharashtra. However, Eitu Mandal’s’record’ may not survive long. Her five-year-younger sister has also taken to kabaddi and is already developing into a strong player.
“I am the oldest in the family,” claimed the inhabitant of Madhuban village in Jharkhand’s Dumka district. “However, my parents have given me carte blanche. They didn’t place any pressure on me to take over the family’s responsibilities,” she continued.
Eitu may have a long way to go in the sport, but she already knows what she wants to do after she retires.
“I’d like to work as a coach.” I’ll begin coaching as soon as I’ve learned enough about the sport. I wish to work with children and help them develop a passion for kabaddi.”
Kabaddi has risen to prominence in recent years as the country’s next big sport. It has not only provided a tremendous platform for young people in rural India, but it has also helped many of them become mega stars.
Some of them have also gotten extremely wealthy overnight. In 2016, a professional women’s kabaddi league was also established, attracting a large number of young girls to the sport.
