NE SPORTS BUREAU
NEW DELHI, JAN 13
Maitreyi Seluker hailing from Mumbai earned the third spot in all-round event of rhythmic gymnastics at the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati but missed out on a bronze medal because of the existing Khelo India Games rules.
The 14-year-old missed out on a bronze medal because Khelo India Games rules dictate that if the gold and silver medal winners are from the same state, then the bronze must be given to a participant from another state. For this reason, fifth-placed Assamese contestant Upsha Talukdar won the bronze.
Despite this setback, she won a silver medal in the individual segment of rhythmic gymnastics.
“Maitreyi was third in all-round but the gold and silver medallists were also from Maharashtra and according to the rules only two medals can go to one state. So Maitreyi missed out on a bronze medal,” said Maitreyi’s mother Priti Seluker.
Maitreyi participated in last year’s Khelo India camp, as her age did not permit her to play in the main event. She took part in last year’s state championship in Aurangabad and secured third position to qualify for the Khelo India Youth Games.
Maitreyi, who scored 9.80 to settle for silver, is happy with her performance, but at the same is slightly upset as she could not bag gold.
Maitreyi was in second standard when her teacher spotted her interest in gymnastics. Initially she was an artistic gymnast and in six months she qualified for the basic levels. A big fan of Dipa Karmakar, Maitreyi is currently aiming to qualify for the upcoming Asian Championship (U-17) scheduled to take place in Tokyo.
