Hyderabad’s Nishka eyes more success after maiden international medal

Nishka Agarwal won two medals for India, including a gold, in table vault event in the recently-held Artistic Gymnastics International Tournament held in Uzbekistan

Hyderabad: In the world of gymnastics, where precision meets artistry, a new luminary is emerging – Nishka Agarwal. The junior female gymnast is making waves. She won two medals for the country, including a gold, in table vault event in the recently-held Artistic Gymnastics International Tournament held in Uzbekistan.

Competing against gymnasts from prominent nations like Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Russia was beneficial for the junior gymnast. “It was a good exposure in terms of competing with the countries which have good standards in gymnastics and winning two medals – including one gold – was very special for me,” Nishka expressed. Hailing from Basheerbagh, Hyderabad, Nishka started gymnastics at a tender age of seven. “Initially, I started gymnastics for fitness, but as my interest grew I decided to continue with the sport,” the 15-year-old said.

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Nishka, a Class X student of The Gaudium School, Hyderabad, started training in LB Stadium where she met Indian artistic gymnast Budda Aruna Reddy, and currently both of them trains under coach Manoj Rana in the school. “Since 2020, I have been training under Manoj sir and it was through Aruna di I came in contact with him,” revealed Nishka.

In the competitive world of gymnastics, mentors play a significant role and for Nishka she has coach Rana and fellow gymnast Aruna Reddy, whom Nishka considers her role model. Coach Manoj praised her work ethic, resilience, and enthusiasm stating, “I am really impressed by Nishka because she is a dedicated individual who never gives up, which can be seen during training sessions and competitions.”

Nishka, who will soon compete in senior category, has her eyes on future major events and on the pinnacle of Sports – the Olympics as she will be competing in Asian Championship and four World Cups next year which are qualifying tournaments for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Nishka’s impressive show in Uzbekistan has instilled a lot of confidence and coach Manoj rates his ward highly and anticipates strong performance will continue in the future. “She has great potential, although I am not sure if she will qualify for the Paris Olympics but she should definitely make it to the 2028 Olympics,” he concluded.