Thane teen Aaryan’s golden show

Aaryan Gavande with his coach Mahendra Babhulkar after winning the gold medal at the KIYG in Chennai recently

It's not easy being a national-level sportsperson in India with very little or almost no financial assistance of your own. But thanks to an inspirational coach and some benevolent parents of his teammates, Thane lad Aaryan Gavande is excelling as a gymnast and his recent gold medal in the all-round event at the 6th Khelo India Youth Games at the SDAT Complex in Chennai is proof of this.

Aaryan, 17, scored 73.200 to win the gold medal ahead of Uttar Pradesh's Pranav Mishra (72.470), who took the silver, and Harshit D (71.700) who clinched the bronze.

Aaryan, a Class XII student of Kelkar College, Mulund, is the son of an electrician, so finances are obviously limited. His coach Mahendra Babhulkar however, has never let his ward feel the pinch of his training and competition expenses. "Aaryan comes from an underprivileged background, but we have some parents of other athletes at our academy who help fund his expenses. At our academy, we regularly undertake initiatives to raise money for our needy students. We also get some support from the government. Then, there's the prize money from the Khelo India Youth Games and monthly scholarship from the Sports Authority of India to help us. Thanks to all this, we have succeeded in bringing this boy to this level," Babhulkar said of his ward, who made it to the final of the Asian Championships in Singapore last year, and has also participated in World School Games.

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"It takes three people to make a champion - the athlete himself, the parents, and the coach. When I saw Aaryan and his parents' dedication, I decided that he has to reach a high level. His father has clearly told me that I have a free hand and that the boy will give his 100 per cent while there will be no interference from the parents' side. Aaryan is emerging as one of the top young gymnasts in India," added Babhulkar.

The vault that catapulted India's Dipa Karmakar to global fame, is Aaryan's favourite gymnastics event. "Floor, vault, parallel bar… I like them all. It's tough to pick one because to perform well in the all-round event, you have to concentrate on all six apparatuses. However, since I have qualified twice for international events in the vault, that's my favourite. I want to develop further in it and win an international medal for India," said Aaryan.