Indian Aerobic Gymnastics team leaves for World Cup in Tokyo

Mumbai, April 23 (IANS) Arya Shah of Maharashtra, Rudraksha Khanna of Jammu & Kashmir, Mutum Romins of Manipur, Meet Kosambia of Gujarat, and Ariha Pangambam of Manipur have been selected for the Indian team for the Aerobics Gymnastics World Cup 2025 competition to be held later this year.

The Suzuki Aerobics Gymnastics World Cup competition will be organized in Tokyo, Japan, from April 25 to 27. The competition is organized in collaboration with the Federation International de Gymnastics FIG, as well as the International Aerobics Federation, Japan.

The full Indian team includes Rudraksha Khanna Sub Junior Individual Men (Jammu and Kashmir), Mutum Romins Junior Individual Men (Manipur), Arya Shah Individual Men (Maharashtra), Meet Kosambia - Senior Individual Men (Gujarat), Rhea Sharma Junior Individual Women (Jammu and Kashmir) and Ariha Pangambam - Senior Individual Women (Manipur), who were all picked by a selection committee.

Shashank Bidiwal (Gujarat) and SP Singh (Jammu and Kashmir) have been selected as coaches with the team. Also, Dr. Makarand Joshi and Yamanam Ranjan have been selected as the head of the team and the judges along with the team.

At the recent International Judges Examination in the Philippines, Dr. Makrand Joshi qualified as the most experienced judge in India by receiving a category III in the Olympic cycle for the seventh time. For the third consecutive year, he was selected as the judge for the World Cup.

The team is sponsored by Maruti Suzuki India Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, for the third time consecutively.

For this contest, Sudhir Mittal, President of the Gymnastics Federation of India, Treasurer Kaushik Bidiwala, Maruti Suzuki's Sito San, Naoto Takahashi San, Takeshita San, Sankarshan Joshi, Deputy Director Sports Authority Indian, NCEO, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Dr. Monica Ghughe, Deputy Director Sports and Youth Services Aurangabad Division Yuvraj Naik, congratulated and greeted the team before it left for Tokyo.

Athletes from 19 countries and regions will compete in the Suzuki World Cup 2025, which is part of the FIG's annual international series. It is one of the most prestigious events in Aerobic Gymnastics, bringing together top athletes from around the world.

Among the highlights of this edition will be Riri Kitazume and Mizuki Saito, the reigning Individual and Pairs World Champions. Competing on home soil, the Japanese stars are set to deliver stunning performances, reinforcing their dominance in the sport.

--IANS

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