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Swimmer Park Tae-hwan returns home for national team trials
Incheon (South Korea), April 24 (IANS) Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan returned home from his Australian training camp on Tuesday to compete for a spot on the national team.
Park spent the past three months training in Sydney. He’s back home for the national trials that start Friday in Gwangju, 330 kilometres south of Seoul.
The trials, Park’s first competition of the season, will determine who will represent the country at the August 18-September 2 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.
Park is scheduled to enter freestyle races in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres and 1,500 metres. He will then spend a few more days at home before returning to Sydney on May 13.
Park’s next competition will come in early June at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Santa Clara, California.
Park, 28, said he feels 100 per cent healthy, but since he only began training in earnest two months ago, he’s still working himself into peak form. Park added that the national team trials will represent “an important step” toward the Asian Games.
“Since I got a late start, I should work that much harder for the Asian Games,” he told reporters at Incheon International Airport. “I am not getting any younger, and I’ve been trying hard to improve my conditioning and stamina. I’d like to prove that I am still a competitive swimmer this year.”
Park remains the only South Korean to have won an Olympic swimming medal. He grabbed gold in the 400m freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he also picked up silver in the 200m free. At London 2012, Park won silver medals in both the 200m and 400m freestyle.
At the Asian Games, Park has won six gold, three silver and five bronze medals. At the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, 40 kilometres west of Seoul, Park won one silver and five bronze medals but was later stripped of all of them after failing a doping test.
Park grabbed those medals while racing at an arena bearing his own name. During that competition, Park admitted to letting the weight of expectations affect his performance. Nearly four years later, Park said he’s eager for a shot at personal redemption.
“This will be my fourth Asian Games, and since I will be competing overseas, I think I will feel more at ease,” he said. “I’d love to post good times. And if I can do that, I believe medals will follow.
–IANS
pur/hs
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.