Ryan Varghese may not have won a prize in the Intermediate Extreme Slalom event in the Malabar River Festival (MRF) on Friday (July 25). But he certainly won hearts.
This 10-year-old from Ernakulam is the youngest contestant in the festival this season, and his finishing the event in itself is considered a victory at his age due to which he is projected as a promising talent. Ryan, along with his 12-year-old sister Dona Marcella had the spotlight on them on the first day of the festival as several people, including villagers, stopped them to chat and click pictures with them. Dona had displayed her talent finishing fourth in the Intermediate Extreme Slalom event in the women’s category.
This is not the first outing for Ryan and Dona at MRF. Both had participated in the previous edition. Students of St. Mary’s Public School, Thamarachal, in Ernakulam, the siblings are well supported by their parents George Felix and Panimaya Priyadarshini, who themselves are flat water kayakers.
“I was tense at first. But once I entered the water, there was no time to think,” Ryan said, adding that he was happy to have finished without any problems, though he had a minor bruise on his shoulder after brushing on a rock during the event.
“This water is very turbulent and hence it is tough for a beginner to traverse. We saw several experienced kayakers failing and being rescued. This makes Ryan’s performance noteworthy,” said his mother Panimaya. He had trained under several professional Kayakers from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, especially national champion Amit Thapa, in April-May this year.
George Felix and Panimaya had taken to kayaking during the pandemic as a pastime influenced by a few friends. But it soon became their passion that inspired them to ensure professional training for their children in the sport. “We do not have many kayakers to represent India in the smaller age groups. We definitely hope Ryan and Dona will make us proud by representing the nation,” Panimaya said.
