Genevieve D'Costa has taken the big plunge in fine style.With a silver and a bronze medal to show from her maiden senior national divingchampionships, the 14-year-old Saligao-based girl has announced herself asGoa's medal hope at the National Games.
Genevieve, a student of Our Lady of Rosary HS in Dona Paula,ended Goa's long wait for silver medal at the senior national divingchampionship when she finished second behind Railways' Hrutika Shriram inone-metre spring board diving event in Pune recently. The last time a Goanclinched a silver at the senior national diving championship, was 12 years ago.Genevieve also picked up a bronze medal in three-metre spring board divingevent.
The senior national championship was a defining moment forGenevieve, as she took on the might of traditional powerhouses of diving inIndia, like the Railways and Services teams, apart from regular Indian teamdivers from top states like Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka. And to comeup with a silver medal, from such a competitive field is a fine achievement forGenevieve and her coach P Narsimhallu of Sports Authority of Goa.
Genevieve began training in diving seven years back underthe guidance of P Narsimhallu. "When she came to me, she knew swimming butnot diving. Within two years, she came up to the national level. In her firstnationals in 2009, she got two silver medals. Genevieve has since not lookedback," says the veteran coach.
Genevieve has beenconsistent in various categories of national competitions. Twelve gold, fivesilvers and three bronze medals, has made Genevieve Goa's finest upcomingdiver. And Genevieve has now come ofage. Coach Narsimhallu is targetting gold medal in next year's seniornationals. However, the magnitude of challenge facing Genevieve, is enormous.
"The divers from Railways for example, are recruitedfor their prowess in the sport. They just have to train and perform, while ourdivers like Genevieve, also have academics to take care of. But we will workhard and aim for gold medal in the next senior nationals," says Narsimhallu,who has been coaching for the last 22 years during which his students haveclinched 115 gold medals, 85 silver and 86 bronze medals. But a gold forGenevieve in the next National Games which are to be hosted in Goa, willcertainly be a very special medal in that collection.
