Jerlin Anika is just 13. But her achievements defy her age. In a recently concluded badminton tournament in Hyderabad, she emerged the national champion competing against much experienced normal contestants. Her kitty is now filled with State and national medals and this had helped her to qualify for the Deaflympics badminton event in Samsun, Turkey in July.
“We never saw her as a child with hearing and speech impairment. We treated her as any other normal child and it gave her enormous confidence to succeed,” says J Jeya Ratchagan, her father.
For her, nothing is impossible when it comes to badminton. Initially she had some difficulties. “But for her coach T Saravanan, Anika would not come this far. When I had doubts, he had the confidence in her,” says Jeya Ratchagan, who runs a small plastic bag manufacturing unit.
Anika is differently-abled but her amazing concentration and temperament attracted her fellow players and coach. “Her impairment has worked to her advantage. When she enters the court, her focus is only on badminton. No distraction and the killer instinct to succeed have helped her to achieve,” says Saravanan.
She was diagnosed with hearing impairment at the age of two and from then on her parents strived to find a remedy. Jeya Ratchagan put her in the lip reading class at the school for hearing impaired and that helped her to understand what people spoke. A chance visit to the badminton court in Villapuram, altered her life. Looking at the girl’s interest in the game, Saravanan admitted her in his stable and started teaching the nuances of the game. “Generally, people feel it is difficult to handle special children. But I think it is a joy to work with them because they are keen observers and follow every rule and trick of the game without hesitation,” says Saravanan.
Anika’s rise to stardom has been gradual. Though she won her inaugural match which was against a tough component in under-10 state-level tournament in Sivakasi, Anika missed a few games after that. “I stepped in to correct her moves and now she understands and remembers not only her errors and points but even her rival’s,” says the coach.
The Federation of India School Games 2016 was the turning point in her life. Anika, studying in class IX in St.Joseph’s Girls Higher Secondary School went through strenuous selection trials to qualify for the main event and overcame tough resistance to bag the silver medal in the under-13 category. The medal-winning performance gave her the confidence to power through a national-level tournament and she finished third in the competition for normal children.
Jeya Ratchagan came to know about the Deaflympics through physically challenged athletic coach Ranjith Kumar who guided him to approach the State association for hearing impaired. From there he was put in touch with Sharma Souni, the national badminton coach for the Deaflympics bound Indian team.
Anika was asked to take part in a championship for the hearing impaired in Jamshedpur, where she came out with flying colours. She won the gold medal in both the team and individual events and spearheaded the Tamil Nadu team to finish on top. “She was immediately selected for the Turkey tournament,” says the happy father. As medals and honours came her way, Anika had to continue to participate in several tournaments to keep her active in the badminton circuit. Manufacturer of automotive belts, JK Fenner, came forward to help her financially when she was on the look out for a Good Samaritan to fund her trip to Turkey.
Anika puts in 10 hours of practice daily. “Her agility, minimum unforced errors, attacking shots and splendid court coverage will help her in good stead,” says her hopeful coach.
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