Timing it right

Zubin Ginwalla of Baroda has brought "great honor for the country and the community by winning a silver medal in the men’s 10,000 m relay in the 9th Asian Roller Skating Championships at Taiwan. This is the first time that India has achieved this victory of an inter-nation­al level in speed skating...jus-tifying the confidence which his well-wishers placed in him,” writes Shavak Patel, erstwhile president of the Baroda Parsi Punchayat, in a communication to Parsiana. Roller skaters from China, Japan, Korea, Iran, etc participat­ed in the meet in October 2001.

A month prior to the Taiwan meet, 20-year-old Ginwalla had skated in the World Championships in France. Though unable to pick up a medal, the exposure proved to be invaluable as an international coach fine tuned their technique and gave the Indian team, con­sisting of 20 boys and girls, juniors (up to 17 years) and seniors, tips that proved fruitful at the subse­quent international outing, asserts Ginwalla. "My favorite event is the 300 m time trial,” he says. "It is speed I like, I am more of a sprinter as I can generate power quickly.” In a sport not popularly pursued in India, Ginwalla has to import from the USA his body suit, helmet and roller skates, shoes, frame, wheels, bearings, et al.

With a tally of 59 medals and trophies so far at the district, state, national and now international level, Ginwalla had also been selected as standby in the Indian team for the 8th Asian Roller Skating Cham­pionships in ’99 at Shanghai, but did not get the opportunity to represent his country. In the same year he had stood first in his event at the nationals, securing second place the following year. "In races with a massed start, one must be taught well how to get ahead in the pack,” he observes, adding that Vipul Patel, his coach in Baroda, also officiates as coach for the Indian team.

It was grandfather Patel who kindled his interest in the sport. "At first I joined it for fun and slowly started competing,” he describes. Speed and stamina are built up by three to four hours of daily training plus fitness sessions at the gym.

Currently a second year BCom student at M. S. University, Baroda, Gin-walla plans to do his MBA after graduation. In 1999, in recognition of his skating skills the Government of Gujarat sports ministry had awarded him a cash prize; the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India presented him a citation and trophy at its Mhow meeting the same year; the Shree Parsi Pan-chayat, Baroda has honored him with the Behram N. Cama Memorial trophy for excellence in sports for five consecutive years, notes his bio data.