Kolhapur joins the RFYS arena
Lying in the Western Ghats of Sahyadri, Kolhapur is considered as the wrestling hub of the country.
Lying in the Western Ghats of Sahyadri, Kolhapur is considered as the wrestling hub of the country. This inland city, which is traditionally known for wrestling, has an abundance of talent waiting to be unleashed. This year, Kolhapur has joined the RFYS bandwagon which will give an opportunity to the city’s youth to showcase their talent in football.
If the opening day of RFYS in the city was any indication, one can expect that the institutes will pose a serious threat to other cities. 12 goals were scored in the 4 matches that were played on 18th September. The first-ever RFYS match of Kolhapur was played between the Junior Boys of Chhatrapati Shahu Vidyalaya and Irwin Christian High School and it went down to the wire as the result was eventually decided by penalty shootout.
Although Wrestling is the main sport in Kolhapur, the city has produced elite athletes in other sports too. Be it football, shooting or swimming, the city’s athletes have shown potential on the world stage. The facilities are also up to the mark in the city which boasts of the largest wrestling stadium of the country, Khasbag Wrestling Stadium and Rajarshi Shahu Football Stadium, which has hosted a few I-League games in the past. Here’s a look at a few of the achievements of Kolhapur’s athletes:
1. The Pocket Dynamo: Wrestling legend Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was the first Indian athlete to win an individual Olympic medal post-Independence.
2. Shooting champion: 3-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and former World Champion in shooting, Tejaswini Sawant hails from Kolhapur.
3. Mastermind: 24-year-old Rucha Pujari is currently a Woman International Master and was awarded the title of Woman FIDE Master in 2006.
4. Diving towards glory: Back in 2010, Virdhawal Khade won India’s first Asiad medal in swimming in 24 years by clinching a bronze in 50m Butterfly category in Guangzhou Asian Games.
The above feats prove that this city indeed has a lot of talent and with the introduction of RFYS, the young footballers of Kolhapur will be eager to test themselves. It’s still early days in the tournament though and only time will tell where the institutes of Kolhapur stand at the national level.
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