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Faster, Higher, Stronger by Sunil L Zalmi Named after former Tennis sensation Steffi Graff, Steffi Cardozo has left no stone unturned in Indias athletic history in general and Goas in particular. She presents a perfect dish of sports excellence garnished with an impressive academic record Born on 16th March 1989, 16-year-old Steffi Cardozo has carved out a niche for herself in various athletic events like Shot-put, Discus throw, Javelin throw, etc. What started as a ripple is, today, taking shape as a colossal wave. Steffi has a superfluity of achievements backing her. She has 13 national medals to her credit which include three gold medals. In November 2003 she set up a new record in shot-put at Haridwar, Uttaranchal, with a distance of 10m 90cm. Supplementing her national level medals are 14 west zone medals which include six gold medals of which one came in September 2005 at Bhopal. Steffi pursued her primary education at Sharada Mandir School, Miramar. At Sharada Mandir within a period of four years she bagged as many as 35 merit certificates in sports, educational and cultural events. She joined Mary Immaculate Girls high school from V to VIII standard and continued her education in St Marys Girls High school from IX to X. I remember having participated in many sports events in 10th standard and balancing sports with education was a big challenge, she says. But sheer hard work and effective time management saw her come up with 73 per cent at the Board exams. Surprisingly, Steffi wanted to be a dentist and she had taken a step in that direction by joining the science stream at her plus two level. But very soon she realized that she would do better as a sportswoman. Long hours of practice everyday and 8 to 9 tours a year made it almost impossible for me to continue with science and therefore I decided to take up Arts so that I could devote more time and effort towards sports. Making a career in sports is not easy and it becomes all the more difficult for a woman. A girl is hardly encouraged to take up sports as a career. But Steffi defied all orthodox logic. My parents have been extremely supportive especially my father, a sportsman himself who has guided me throughout, she says adding, They are perhaps more elated than me during each of my success. She owes her allegiance to her coaches. She remembers her physical education teacher giving her the shot-put during physical training periods. Steffi has converted the iron ball to gold. All my coaches have played a pivotal role in my success at the national level. Steffi aims high. She wants to win the Asian and World Commonwealth games medals for India and represent the country at the Olympics. But she knows that her journey will not be a bed of roses. To be in the medal bracket one has to take painstaking efforts. A minimum of four hours strenuous practice coupled with extensive training techniques is required everyday. Diet needs to be kept under check as proper nourishment is a prerequisite. Steffi took her initial training in Peddem, for two years and later under the day boarding scheme at Panjim under Sports Authority of India. Currently Steffi has shifted to Center of Excellence, Patiala, for advanced training. She is receiving training under Mr Jugraj Singh, former Olympian and Asian Medal winner. Practice, practice and more practice, she says, is the only mantra for success at the national and international level. Steffis efforts have paid off when one considers the plethora of medals she has won at the national and the west zone levels. It did not take long for her talents to get noticed and appreciated. She was conferred with the National Child award for exceptional achievements in sports by the ministry of Human resource development, New Delhi in August 2005. She was adjudged best sportswoman of the year by the Sports Journalists Association of Goa in 2004. She was also felicitated by the Lions Club of Candolim, Alto Betim Jaycees, Kala Jogi, etc. When people recognize and appreciate me I feel fully active and enlivened. I feel it worth the effort. Routine work can sometimes get boring. Appreciation and encouragement makes all the difference, she says with gratitude in her eyes. Athletics is not very popular in India. Surely, not as popular as cricket or football. Steffi feels that the chief reason behind this is the lack of remuneration paid to the athletes. A cricketer or a footballer is paid in lakhs but an athlete finds it difficult to bear the entire burden himself as remuneration paid is negligible. She feels Goan clubs, government departments can adopt one or two athletes who are in the medal bracket at all India level. She feels Goa needs to build basic amenities required by the athletes. Steffi feels every child is born an athlete. Parents must encourage children and initiate them at an early age. It is Steffis long cherished dream to start her own training institute in Goa in line with the one existing in Delhi. This sums her true passion for athletics and her crave to bring to fore many more Steffies. Truly, she has been one great ambassador of Athletics for the entire nation.
