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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Olympic Speed Climbing Champion Sam Watson to Visit Mumbai

Mumbai: When Sam Watson sprints up a 15-metre wall, the world seems to slow down. The 19-year-old American speed climber, an Olympic medallist from Paris 2024 and current world-record holder at 4.64 seconds, has become the face of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. On November 2, he will trade competition arenas for Mumbai’s High Rock in Powai, offering a rare day of workshops and conversations with India’s burgeoning community of climbers. Speed climbing, once a fringe pursuit of...

Olympic Speed Climbing Champion Sam Watson to Visit Mumbai

Mumbai: When Sam Watson sprints up a 15-metre wall, the world seems to slow down. The 19-year-old American speed climber, an Olympic medallist from Paris 2024 and current world-record holder at 4.64 seconds, has become the face of one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. On November 2, he will trade competition arenas for Mumbai’s High Rock in Powai, offering a rare day of workshops and conversations with India’s burgeoning community of climbers. Speed climbing, once a fringe pursuit of mountaineers, now stands as one of the Olympics’ most electrifying disciplines. The sport demands not just power and agility but precision measured in hundredths of a second. Watson, often hailed as the greatest speed climber of all time, has repeatedly rewritten the record books. His visit marks a milestone for India’s fledgling climbing scene. High Rock, the city’s first commercial climbing facility, opened its walls in December 2024 and has since drawn more than 10,000 enthusiasts. It represents the country’s growing fascination with vertical sports and a reflection of a global shift toward adventure and athleticism fused with technology and training science. During his visit, Sam Watson will conduct Masterclasses for both Kids and Adults, offering a rare opportunity for amateur climbers to learn directly from a global champion and experience his unmatched energy and technique up close. Watson will be joined by Matt Groom, the Official Lead Commentator for the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). Known as the voice of IFSC World Cups and World Championships, Groom will host a 30-minute talk at High Rock on ‘The Evolution of Climbing in Competitive Sport.’ His insights promise to provide a deep look into the transformation of climbing from niche adventure to Olympic spectacle. Event: Sam Watson, Olympic Medalist and current World Record holder at High Rock Date: November 2, 2025 Location: High Rock, Powai, Mumbai

Standoff intensified

Jarange says won’t even take water; CM says solution only within legal framework

Pic: Bhushan Koyande
Pic: Bhushan Koyande

Mumbai: The three-day old standoff between the Maratha quota agitators and the state government intensified on Sunday as leader of the agitation Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is on a fast unto death at Azad Maidan here, warned the government that he would stop consuming water from Monday onwards if the government fails to meet his demands.


On the other hand, even as government officials huddled trying to find way out of the deadlock Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis categorically said that the resolution of the issue is possible only within the legal framework set by various verdicts given by various courts in this regard.


Jarange-Patil said he will not leave Mumbai until the people of Maratha community get reservation in jobs and educational institutions under the OBC category. He also argued that his demand was constitutionally valid, adding that the government records prove that Kunbis and Marathas belong to the same caste. Jarange threatened to stop consuming water as the government was not accepting their demands.


“From tomorrow, I will stop taking water as the government is not accepting the demands. But I am not going back till the quota demand is met. We will get Marathas reservation under the OBC category no matter what,” he said.


"Our demand is constitutionally valid. The government has records of 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis. Marathas will come to Mumbai (for the agitation) as and when they get time,” he added.


Jarange wants Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis -- an agrarian caste included in the Other Backward Classes category -- which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education, though OBC leaders are opposed to it.


Government at work

On the other hand, various arms of the state government huddled on Sunday trying to find a way out of the present situation pertaining to the demands raised by the Maratha quota activists. Meetings are being held with sociological as well as legal experts, said Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Minister for Water Resources and head of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservations.


The sub-committee discussed the proposal submitted by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil and is seeking legal guidance on the matter. The government is keen to resolve the issue, but the leaders of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are making contradictory statements solely for political gains, Vikhe Patil said.


Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, meanwhile, made it clear that the resolution of the issue will have to be within the set legal frameworks.


“We are taking the demands being made by Jarange-Patil positively. He has been demanding that all the Marathas be declared as Kunbis. But, there are some decisions of various courts. We will have to respect the decisions. If the demands are being made beyond legal framework and government is expected to take populist decisions, such decisions won’t stand for even a day in the court of law. Making such a decision beyond legal framework would lead to a sense of being cheated among the Maratha community,” the Chief Minister said.


Only legal

Fadnavis clarified that the Mahayuti government has always followed legal procedures and not taken any decision without due diligence to the legal procedures.


“We wanted to give reservation to the Maratha community. Hence the Shinde committee was formed. It was due to the committee that many entries in old documents regarding Kunbi caste came forth. Now, we have handed over the work related to Hyderabad Gazetteer to the committee under Justice Shinde. He will have to follow certain legal procedures before he could recommend anything regarding reservation and the state government does accordingly. But, Jarange-Patil wants the reservation here and now. How can the state government do so?” Fadnavis asked.

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