Summary
Anushka Jana won gold in Artistic Gymnastics and Floor Exercise and bronze in Beam Balance and Table Vault
She is a Class XI student of Uttarpara Girls’ High School
Anushka Jana, an Edugraph 18 Under 18 Award winner and a student of Uttarpara Girls’ High School, won gold in Artistic Gymnastics and Floor Exercise and bronze in Beam Balance and Table Vault at the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 held in Haryana from June 4 to 13.
The Class XI girl’s usual day involves more than seven hours of practice and she says she did “nothing extra” for Khelo India. “I live at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Salt Lake and practise there. I do two sessions every day, one in the morning from 6am to 10am and another in the evening from 4pm to 7.30pm,” Anushka said.
A fan of Russian gymnast Aliya Farkhatovna Mustafina and India’s very own Deepa Karmakar, Anushka’s dream is to represent India at the Olympics. “Olympics is my final goal and I am preparing myself for it every day,” she said.
Daughter of a first-division footballer and a trained gymnast, Anushka was introduced to gymnastics when she was three years old.
“Anushka was a very naughty and restless child. So, we wanted her to use the energy in sports. One day, I carried her in my lap to Sarathi Club in Uttarpara to get her admitted to the gymnastics class. But the trainers at the club said she was too young and turned us away,” said Alok Jana, Anushka’s father. After a few days, he went back again and this time the club agreed to take Anushka in. Since then, there has been no looking back.
Anushka’s mother, Ruma Jana, is a trained gymnast herself but now a homemaker. She hopes Anushka will be able to fulfil her dreams.
Anushka participated in the 8th Netaji Subhas State Championship held in May 2022 and came first in the all-round category and second in floor exercise, beam balance and table vaulting. She won gold in the floor exercise category and in the team event at the 56th Junior National Artistic Gymnastics Championship 2021 organised by Gymnastics Association of J&K, in collaboration with J&K Sports Council, under the aegis of Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) and J&K Olympic Association. She stood second in the 72nd Senior State Gymnastics Championship held at the Uttarpara Gymnasium in May 2022.
Binata Kundu, headmistress of Uttarpara Girls’ High School, is proud of Anushka’s achievements and has always been a pillar of support. “Anushka is making us proud every day with her achievements. Khelo India is a big platform and we are overjoyed that she won two gold medals representing Bengal,” said Kundu.
Last updated on 16 Jun 2022
