ACHIEVEMENT -- 15:

SISTER-BROTHER DUO SELECTED FOR NATIONAL CUE CHAMPIONSHIP

 By P S SUNDAR 

 

Coonoor-based college student and her school going brother have brought laurels to The Nilgiris district by getting selected to represent Tamil Nadu in the National Billiards and Snooker championship to be held in Bhopal.   If selected at the Nationals, they stand a chance to represent India in international tourneys.

 

This follows their winning Medals and places at the 37^th TN State Championship 2021 held in Chennai.

 

Mariam Agnish (20) studying in BCom (final year) in Providence College for Women in Coonoor made a clean sweep by annexing Medals in both Snooker and Billiards in all the four categories she contested.

 

She told me, “In Snooker state championship, I won two Silver Medals each in Ladies and under-21 categories.   In Billiards, I won Silver in Ladies category and Bronze in under-21 category”.

 

Mariam had represented India in World Snooker championship twice in Russia and once in Belgium.

 

She holds the credit of being the only female from The Nilgiris district to have represented India in official international cue game tourneys abroad.

 

Her brother Sham Alwin (13), studying in VIII standard in Stanes Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Coonoor, has bagged two ranks.

 

He said, “In the state championship of under-18 category, I bagged Fourth Place in Billiards and Fifth in Snooker and have been selected for the Nationals in both”.

 

Earlier at the selections held in Tirupur, he bagged Gold in both Billiards and Snooker.

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com) 

 

 ACHIEVEMENT -- 14:

AGE IS NOT A DETERRENT:

AT 50, SHE RANKS No: 1 IN 100 DAYS RUNNING

 

By P S SUNDAR 

 

That age is not a deterrent to achieve in life has once again been proved right with 50-year-old mother of two adult sons living in Mount Pleasant in Coonoor emerging as Rank No: 1 in all-India level in 100 days of running each day.

 

Pamela Benny Alves, Ambassador for Nilgiris of the Bangalore-based ‘Life is Calling’ organisation, which specialises in endurance activities including running and cycling, undertook 100 days of daily running to cover 2050.32 kilometres and bag Rank No: 1 among the over 500 participants in the whole of India.

 

“On an average, I ran 20.50 kilometres daily totalling 268:13:23 hours of running for 100 days.  This marked an achievement of 7 minutes to cover a kilometre”, she told me.

 

“I also ran another event organised by the world famous HDOR for 100 days to cover 2,590 kilometres.   For this, for three days, I did full marathon of 42 kilometres, one day 60 kilometres and many days of half marathon of 21 kilometres.   The running was each day without break – the first in the Nilgiris to achieve this”, she disclosed.

 

“In this event, I bagged sixth rank in India among 5,998 participants and first in the Nilgiris.  Among the 307 participants in the 50+ age group, I bagged rank No: 1”, she noted.

 

Pamela said that she beat hostile terrain and high elevation of The Nilgiris to reach these national-level positions.   “My fitness trainer Cyril Gonsalves contributed significantly to keep me fit”, she noted.

 

She attributed the co-operation from her husband Sebastiao Alves in all aspects as a principal cause for her achievement.   Both of them run a NGO called ‘The Transcultural Mission’ as a charity trust in Coonoor.  As part of it, this summer, ‘The Mountain Gaur’s Club’ was formed.   “The aim is to enhance fitness, make non-walkers into walkers and walkers into runners”, Pamela said.

 

She added, “Anyone needing help to take up running as an endurance and fitness endeavour, irrespective of age or gender can reach me on 9626343774”.

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)