Woman To Know: Mayurakshi Mukherjee, India’s Hope To Win The Olympic Rowing Medal
- JWB Post
- November 9, 2016
Most of you might not have heard about the sport called Rowing.
Have you? So, do you know about Mayurakshi Mukherjee?
No? Well, this 19-year-old Kolkata girl is currently preparing for Olympic Rowing Medal. Her love for rowing started after seeing national-level rowers compete at the Bengal Rowing Club, one of the first clubs starting around the late 1800s in India.
Speaking exclusively to The Logical Indian, she said, “I was involved in karate, swimming, and basketball during my school days at South Point. As soon as I took up rowing, my interest grew and I haven’t looked back since. I barely had any international experience under my belt leading up to the Asian Championships. For the sport,we need proper facilities and world-class equipment. The boat we use here is much heavier than what it is supposed to be. The government support is clearly lacking. Rowing has big injury risks for the lower back, ribs, and knee. So that is why the technique is very important. So the better technique you have, the better you will perform. Stamina and physical endurance are obviously important factors.”
Mayurakshi’s coach, Sudip Naha, added, “The main problem in rowing is that while the kids pick up the sport at a young age, they are forced to quit because of parental pressure on education. But that was never the case for Mayurakshi. She knows how to balance her academics with rowing and that is what sets her apart. Another problem which young rowers of the country face is the lack of accessibility, as a result of which they end up leaving the sport. But her father, an engineer, and mother, a botany teacher, have supported her in every possible way. And she has never disappointed them. Mr. Mukherjee bought her a set of equipment from his own pocket, and if I am not wrong, it amounts close to Rs. 1 lac.”
With all the support and hard-work, Mayurakshi recently became the first girl from Bengal to bring home an international rowing medal after 30 years.
Six years back, it was Bajrang Lal Takhar who won the country’s first individual gold medal in Guangzhou. In 2006, during the Doha Asian Games, India further won three medals – two silvers and one bronze. Currently, she is preparing for the Senior Nationals which is the selection trials for the Asian Games. We wish Mayurakshi all the best! You go, girl!
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