Gujarat State Armwrestling Association Treasurer Mr Mayank Patel needs no introduction in the Armwrestling community in India. He is one of the key figures in Armwrestling in India. He is a 15-times Gujarat State Armwrestling Champion and an international level Armwrestler.
The Sports India Show had the opportunity to catch-up with Mayank Patel to talk about his achievements in Armwrestling and also the steps taken by his association to promote the sport in Gujarat.
1) How long have you been associated with Armwrestling?
I started playing Armwrestling from the state of Gujarat since 1996. Then from 1996 to 2005, I continued competing in Armwrestling and also kept organising events. But I wasn’t getting any recognition or benefit from Armwrestling so I left the sport from 2005 to 2013. In 2013, I found out that the sport of Armwrestling is getting competitive and the chances of getting recognition was also increasing. So in 2013, a new body was formed with Rajendra Singh Parmar serving as the General Secretary, JH Malek as president and my designation is that of a Treasurer.
2) Tell us something about Gujarat Armwrestling and how popular is the sport in Gujarat?
When I started Armwrestling in 1996, there were only 30 to 40 athletes competing in the sport in the state of Gujarat. In 2013, when we restarted Armwrestling, we were still only getting 30 to 40 participants. But we worked hard in the association and kept developing the sport and in the recent state championship which took place in February, over 250 athletes participated in that event. In Gujarat, the sport is getting popularised at a whole another level and Pro Panja League is playing a major role in that. In the last Pro Panja League event, a lot of athletes from Gujarat participated in it and in the Top 18, nearly four players have been selected. Because of the upcoming League, there’s a lot of enthusiasm amongst the athletes and like Pro Kabbadi League, our Pro Panja League will also see similar recognition.
3) What are your accolades in the sport of Armwrestling?
I am a 15-time Gold Medalist in the Senior Gujarat State Armwrestling Championship. I am also a 6-time Gold medalist in the Masters Category in the Gujarat State Armwrestling Championship. I am a 2-time National Gold Medalist in 2019 and 2022. I am also an international player and participated at the World Armwrestling Championship which took place in Turkey and was ranked no.7 in that tournament.
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