S. Rajaguru, the only player hailing from Tamil Nadu in the Indian men’s kabaddi team at the recent Incheon Asian Games — he now works in Bangalore — is hopeful that the State Government will consider his case compassionately and award an amount of Rs. 50 lakh for clinching the gold medal.
“This amount will take me to the next level, financially, given the economic condition of my family,” said Rajaguru, on his arrival here on Wednesday.
He said he has presented his case to the State Sports Minister, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and the Chief Minister (through the Tamil Nadu State Amateur Kabaddi Association).
“The message I’ve got from the authorities has been positive,” he said.
Describing his feelings on winning the gold medal, Rajaguru said, “In my life, I consider this as my greatest achievement.
“As kabaddi is not part of the Olympics, winning gold at the Asian Games will be the pinnacle of my career.”
The ProKabaddi league, according to the defender, was the biggest thing that could have happened to the sport. “The league, where we played 35 matches in 14 days, helped improve my fitness enormously for the Asian Games.
“Normally, we play two to three matches in a month,” Rajaguru, who captained Telugu Titans, said. Born in Vaduvur, a village in Thanjavur district, Rajaguru stayed at the Sports Authority of India (Chennai) from 2002-07 and received his first appointment with Integral Coach Factory (Chennai), where he worked from 2007-2011.
For the past one and a half years, he has been employed with State Bank of Mysore (Bangalore).
Except for the last two Nationals, Rajaguru said he had represented Tamil Nadu in all the National championships, both in junior and senior categories.
Published - October 16, 2014 02:19 am IST
