Fading glory

Despite the eight records, the general standard of The Jal D. Pardivala All Parsees Annual Athletic Meet in its silver jubilee year was not up to its usual high standards. It was indeed sad to note that 11 events were cancelled due to lack of participants including almost the complete women’s track section (200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 100m hurdles and high jump). All events in the women’s group were also cancelled in 2004. The fact that eight medals (four gold, one silver and three bronze) were won by athletes above the age of 40 in the men’s open category speaks volumes for both the tenacity of the veterans and the deteriorating standards of Parsi athletes. The veterans’ charge was led by 40-year-old Fareez Vasania (the ex-Air India soccer forward) who embarrassed the youngsters with three gold (high jump, long jump, triple jump) and a bronze (shot put). Soli Karanjia (the Maharashtra State 45 plus walking champion) walked away with the gold for the five km walk followed by 60-year-old Sarosh Sanjana who took the silver. Evergreen sprint hurdler Nozer Sutaria, at 47, made hurdling look ever-so-easy with a well deserved bronze over and above picking up another bronze in the triple jump.

The Meet was held as always at the University Stadium, Bombay on February 5-6, 2005 and was organized by the All Parsees Sports Foundation. It saw participation from 37 teams comprising 574 Zoroastrian athletes vying for honors in 96 events.

The Late Air Marshall Minoo Merwan Engineer Trophy for Lifetime contribution in the field of Parsi sports was awarded rather belatedly to Dr Dinyar Gamadia who has been at the helm of the All Parsees Athletic juggernaut for the past 25 years.

The Jal D. Pardivala Trophy for the Best Athlete of the Year was awarded to 16-year-old Meherzan Mazda, the shot put sensation from Yazd Sports Club, Dahanu whereas Raiyan Banaji [Faster Speed Intelligence (FSI)] 15, powered his way to a well deserved ‘Best Athlete of the Meet’ trophy clocking 11.5 sec for the 100m which was a mere 0.10 seconds slower than the ‘Fastest Man of the Meet’ which was won by the seasoned Mehernosh Bamboat [The Nowroze Baug Play Centre (NBPC)] who was also the Individual Champion (men) with three gold (100m, 200m, 400m) and two silver (110m hurdles, 800m ).

As many as eight Meet records were broken by the following athletes: Karen Mistry (girls under 10: 50m), Ayesha Billimoria (women: long jump), Rohan Variava (boys under 6: 50m and 80m), Rohan Khandadia (boys under 14: 400m), Yohanne Irani (boys under 14: shot put), F. Ambapardivalla (boys under 18: discus throw), and Peshotan Mehta (men: 1,500m).

The efforts of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) which has sponsored free athletic training to Parsis under the watchful eyes of Dara Doomasia yielded instant and very gratifying results with the BPP sponsored team bagging the Women’s Team Championship. The toppling of the Mancherji Edulji Joshi Memorial Trust Team (MEJMT) in the Team Championship (Men) in 2004, by the J. N. Petit Technical School, Poona was then considered by many as a fluke. But the kids from Poona did it again — steamrolling everything and everyone that came in their way and with two meet records to boot! There are no flukes in athletics — just blood, guts and perseverance.

Today, the future of Parsi athletics lies in the domain of the young and upcoming performers such as Mistry, Sanaya Ichhaporia, Scherazade Contractor, Mazda, Khandadia and Banaji. There is a big void in the higher age groups (of under 16, 18 and open) both in the men’s and women’s categories with Billimoria being the lone hope in the women’s section.

The following stellar performers were the Champions of the XXV All Parsees Annual Athletic Meet 2005 — Girls: Zena Shroff [under 6: Sir Ness Wadia Club (SNWC)]; Piroza Master (under 8: BPP); Mistry (under 10: Girton High School); Sanaya Ichhaporia (under 12: SNWC); Nilufer Ichhaporia (under 14: Avabai Petit High School); Nazneen Modi (under 16: Avabai Petit); Billimoria (Women: FSI).

Boys: Variava (under 6: Zoroastrian Club, Surat); Arman Arethna (MEJMT) and Shahzad Patel (under 8: BPP); Behzad Mistry [under 10: Cusrow Baug United Sports and Welfare League (CBUSWL)]; Hushad Khan (under 12: CBUSWL); Banaji (under 16: FSI); Ambapardiwalla (under 18: J. N. Petit Technical High School, Poona); Bamboat (men: NBPC).

Profiled are the seven top performers at the XXV All Parsees Athletic Meet:

Karen Mistry at nine years is already giving her illustrious parents (Rachita — Asian Games 100m bronze medallist, and Homiyar — Maharashtra state record holder in the 400m and an international athlete) a complex. Karen already "owns” three Maharashtra state records 50m (9.4 secs — girls under 6), 50m (8.2 secs — girls under 8) and 100m (15.9 secs — girls under 8). The most striking feature of this ever-smiling kid who was adjudged the ‘Best Girl Athlete’ at the Inter-school Athletic Championships (in December 2003) is the highly economical and refined technique she exhibits at such a tender age — the true mark of a big champion in the making.

Sanaya Ichhaporia, 10, catapulted to fame in 2004 when she broke the Maharashtra state record in the blue riband 100m sprint for girls under 10 with a blistering 14.9 secs. She also equalled the state 50m (7.8 secs) and 60m records. Nominated the ‘Best Girl Athlete’ at the Mumbai Inter-school Championships in December 2004, this P. T. Usha fan is supremely confident of breaching 13.5 secs in the next two years. Her dream is to one day represent India internationally at the 100m.

Khandadia’s record breaking 60.40 secs for the 400m at the age of 13 at the XXV All Parsees Athletic Meet has brought attention to the potential star. He needs nurturing and proper guidance to reach the heights reached by Homiyar Mistry and Viraf Doomasia (All Parsee record holder) in yesteryears in the 400m. This seventh grade student from Poona’s J. N. Petit Technical High School apart from lowering the Meet record in the 400m also secured gold in the 100m, high jump and long jump and a silver in the shot put (where too he broke the Meet record). He is clearly a top decathlete in the making.

Mehta first on the victory stand (top left) and at the finishing line (right) ; Billimoria (inset below) with her trophies ; Mistry (alongside): girl power; NBPC’s "pillar of strength” Bamboat (bottom left); (right) Ichhaporia: proving her mettle and receiving award

Banaji, the charismatic speed merchant par excellence is a prodigal performer for his star-studded club, FSI. This ‘Best Athlete of the Meet’ award-winner at the XXVth All Parsees is equally at home at the 100m, 200m and 400m and has personal bests of 11.3 secs (SAISA Meet, Dhaka, 2005), 23 secs (Inter-schools Meet, Bombay, 2004) and 53 secs respectively. Banaji’s short-term goal is to win the Nationals (in the under 18 age group) for which he will have to run under 11 secs for the 100m. The 16-year-old champion who is in awe and admiration of his coaches Rachita and Homiyar Mistry dreams of running for the country at the 2012 Olympics. Given Banaji’s potential, yesteryear athlete Adille Sumariwalla’s 24-year-old All-Parsee 100m, record (10.9 secs) and Homiyar Mistry’s 15-year-old All-Parsee 200m record (22.4 secs) may both be under threat by about 2008!

Tall and lissome, Savio D’Souza trained Billimoria has been on the athletic grid for only about five years, but has supremely dominated the sport, amassing a mind-boggling 165 medals (with 125 gold)! This sprinter-jumper who won the ‘Best Parsee Athlete of the Year’ award in 2003 is also the reigning All-Parsee champion and record holder in the women’s long jump (4.87m). This former ICSE Schools National Champion in 200m (2001) did Maharashtra proud in 2004 when she annexed two gold (100m and 400m) and a silver (200m) at the 16th All India West Zone Junior Athletic Meet in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan. Billimoria, is now in the hunt for a podium finish at the Nationals.

The mercurial and laconic Mehta, 27, is Parsi athletics’ greatest unsung hero. Mehta is the only All Parsee triple record-holder (800m, 1,500m and 5,000m). This Frank Alphonso protégé‚ has now graduated to serious open level marathoning (42.2 km) and has completed 12 full marathons with a personal best of 2 hrs 40 mins (Standard Chartered Mumbai International Marathon — 2004). Mehta (like his idol Emil Zatopek) is a big believer of killer training mileages and at times covers 200 km a week in training. He is preparing to garner a personal best of 2 hrs 34 mins at the Mumbai International Marathon in January 2006. To participate in an elite international marathon such as Chicago, Boston or London, is the athlete’s long-term dream.

Bamboat, 28, is the pillar of strength around whom the NBPC men’s relay team girates. This 200m specialist is equally at home at the 100m and 400m and has twice clocked a stupendous 21.9 secs (which is faster than the All Parsee record of 22.4 by Homiyar Mistry) for the 200m (at the Inter State Athletic Meet and the Bombay City Meet, both in 2003). This former Homiyar Mistry trained athlete is currently coached by Govind Dangi of Ace Athletic Club. No athlete in the past decade has dominated Parsi athletics as much as Bamboat. Working for the Government of India (Employees Provident Fund Department) for the past two years, he is also the All-India Departmental Champion. The runner is gunning for a good finish at next season’s Open Nationals.

In celebration of the silver jubilee of the All Parsees Annual Athletic Meet a glittering function was held on January 29, 2005 on the lawns of Rustom Baug to felicitate a galaxy of Parsi sports-persons and officials who had represented their state in nationals and their nation in Olympics and international events. Thirty-four Parsi sports icons were felicitated with jackets and saris presented along with lapel pins and customised plaques of honor.

Recognition was given to seven from the field of swimming — Adi Bharucha, Jehangir Naegamwala, Persis Madan Vatcha, Freny Mistry Sethna, Kurush Contractor, Jamshed Bharucha and Khurshed Thanewalla; five from athletics — Adille Sumariwalla, Hirji Nagarwalla, Homiyar Mistry, Farrokh Engineer and Dara Doomasia; five from cricket — Polly Umrigar, Nari Contractor, Diana Edulji, Piloo Reporter and Dara Dotiwalla; three each from weightlifting — Viraf Panthaki, Neville Daroga and Vispy Daroga; table tennis — Farrokh Khodaiji, Kaity Khodaiji and Baji Bharucha; two each from badminton — Vispy Kapadia and Hufrish Nariman; yachting — Homi Motivala and Farokh Tarapore; and karate — Vispy Kapadia and Pervez Mistry; and one each from cycling — Rustom Havewala; judo — Cawas Billimoria, body building — Tehemton Gowadia; two wheeler motor sports ­­— Zubin Patel; boxing — Sammy Khatow and chess — Viraf Avari.