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Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Meet Shivam Lohakare, India's latest 80m thrower
New Delhi: Indian men's javelin, since Neeraj Chopra's gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has consistently thrown up exciting talent with a sizable number of them breaching the 80m mark. While Shivpal Singh, Rohit Yadav, Manu DP, and Kishore Jena have fallen by the wayside for varying reasons, the new crop — Yashvir Singh and Sachin Yadav — have shown promise. One must add Shivam Lohakare to that list. Javelin thrower Shivam Lohakare became the latest entrant to the 80m club at the Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune last week. (HT) The 20-year-old became the latest entrant to the 80m club at the Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune last week. Shivam won the meet with an effort of 80.95m to become only the 16th Indian to throw the spear 80m or beyond. 'It's good to be in that club but I know I can do much better,' he said from Pune where he trains at the Army Sports Institute. Employed as a Havaldar in Mahar Regiment, Shivam took up javelin as a 13-year-old, almost on a whim. 'It just felt right. I liked the way it left my hand,' he said, recalling his first tryst with the spear. Hailing from Sonai village in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar, Shivam was always an avid athlete at school, seamlessly dabbling in long jump, high jump, javelin, kabaddi, and kho kho. The decisive turn towards javelin happened in 2019 when he won a district-level meet with a throw of 45m. 'I competed in the high jump at that meet as well and finished fourth. That was the end of my other pursuits.' Shivam's steady rise through the district and division-level ranks ran the risk of indefinite derailment as Covid struck, but the youngster was determined to make do with his limited means. On one of the days when the lockdown was relaxed, he travelled 50 kilometres to Ahmednagar to buy an aluminum javelin. Next, he strapped his worn-out spikes and took the road less travelled, quite literally. 'There's a thin road leading to the fields in my village that no one visited during the lockdown. I just used it as a runway and practised for hours.' On one of those mad pursuits, he was spotted by two of his seniors from school -- Amol and Hrishikesh -- who trained in Pune's Baburao Sanas Sports Ground under coach Prasant Wagh. Convincing him to leave the comforts of home was not tough, and no sooner did the lockdown ease, Shivam packed his bags and headed for Pune. Next year, in 2022, he competed in the State U-20 meet and caught the attention of coach Kashinath Naik. A renowned ASI coach and a bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Naik was impressed with Shivam's 62m effort and invited him for a trial at ASI. He logged 72m with a 700g javelin and was duly inducted in the army centre, as a civilian. Naik began to iron out his technique and within two months, he started to throw 70m regularly. He was also mentored by Manu DP, another of Naik's trainees. Manu is currently serving a four-year doping ban. 'I never had perfect technique but I was always a quick and eager learner,' said Shivam who would draw interest for his left-handed throws. Late in 2022, Shivam finished second at the Junior Nationals in Guwahati but his success was dampened by an injury to his lower back, sustained just before the competition. 'It was a muscle injury that would heal with load management, but each time I increased the training intensity, it flared up,' he said. A silver at the Junior Asian Championship (72.34m) arrived in 2023 but the youngster was far from satisfied. 'I was hoping to touch 75m there but was held back by the injury,' he rued. The same year, he hit 80m in training. It was a significant step in his nascent journey, but Shivam knew he was meant for bigger distances. 'At the domestic level, a lot of throwers were touching 80m, so it was not a big deal,' Shivam, who claims to have a 85m throw in him should he stay fit, said. It won't be easy. His 90kg, 6ft 1inch frame is already blighted with injuries. After missing much of 2024 to back troubles, Shivam felt a painful jerk in his right ankle — the block ankle — earlier this year that is still bothering him. The injury reared up just ahead of the Pune meet too, leaving him with painful swelling. Unable to jump or throw, he is building his upper body strength under a physiotherapist's supervision. 'It is frustrating. Before this injury, I was throwing between 80-82m in training and was hoping to build on that during competitions. I hope to resume throwing in another 2-3 weeks,' he said, having set his sights on this year's Inter State championships (Aug 20-24). 'If I stay fit, I'll throw 85m there.'
India Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
'Breakdown of law and order': Manipur Congress leader on airlifting of Governor
Congress leader and former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has strongly criticised the state and central governments, calling the ongoing crisis in Manipur a "complete failure of governance." His remarks came a day after Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla was airlifted in an Indian Army helicopter due to massive protests, unable to travel a mere seven kilometres from Imphal Airport to Raj to reporters on Tuesday during a floral tribute ceremony at Congress Bhawan in Imphal to mark the 61st death anniversary of India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Ibobi demanded a public apology from the Governor, Security Advisor, Chief Secretary, and Director General of Police (DGP) of Manipur.'According to our assessment, it is a total failure of the Government of India, especially the Ministry of Home Affairs,' he said. 'The Governor, being the constitutional head of the state, is effectively acting under the authority of the President of India.' Highlighting Monday's incident, Ibobi pointed out the Governor could not even travel the seven-kilometre stretch from Imphal airport to Raj Bhawan due to public protest and had to be airlifted, calling it symbolic of the breakdown of law and order in the Ajay Kumar Bhalla was forced to take an aerial route on Monday to avoid large-scale protests organised by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a prominent civil society coalition. The protests demanded a public apology from the Governor and the immediate resignation or transfer of the Chief Secretary, Security Advisor, and public anger stemmed from a May 20 incident in which central security personnel reportedly stopped a Manipur State Transport bus carrying journalists to the Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhrul and ordered the removal of the word 'Manipur' from its signage — a move widely condemned as an affront to the state's also condemned recent reports that the word 'Manipur' was removed from state transport buses by security personnel.'Who gave the order to remove the name 'Manipur' from the bus? Why was the Mahar Regiment involved in such a way that hurt public sentiment? I know the Mahar Regiment acted under directions from higher authority. They should come out and apologise. Asking to remove the state's name raises serious questions about our territorial integrity,' he former Chief Minister said that these developments are not just law and order issues but represent 'an erosion of democratic and constitutional values.'advertisement'The public uprising in Manipur is spontaneous and not driven by any organised body. This is not new. The people are reacting to threats to their integrity,' he added, asserting that the Congress party would never compromise on the state's territorial questions around potential government formation, Ibobi dismissed any talks with the BJP. 'We have no talks with the BJP. MLAs are constitutionally elected and capable of forming a government. This responsibility lies with the BJP MLAs. If they have the majority, let them go to the Raj Bhawan and stake their claim,' he also criticised recent remarks from a BJP MLA suggesting the unification of civil society organisations (CSOs), calling the statement 'inappropriate.' 'It shows their weakness and irresponsibility. There is an NDA government at the Centre and the BJP MLAs in the state should show the will to act,' he has been gripped by prolonged unrest and a deepening security crisis since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023.
