‘Practice makes a man perfect’ is the motto that Jammu and Kashmir player Ummer Ahmad Rather follows in his life. A Budgam resident, Ummer has been playing Kho Kho since he was in class VI and is now vying for a place in the Indian men’s team for the upcoming Kho Kho World Cup. Ummer follows his training routines very religiously despite all odds including extreme weather conditions.

“I’m really excited for the World Cup. It’s a great opportunity for all of us and our aim is to get gold for the country. It’s a proud moment for all of us that there will be a Kho Kho World Cup happening in India giving the sport global recognition. It’s a matter of pride that more than 20 countries will be participating in the event.”

Ummer comes from a humble background and like the others, financial stability is one of the biggest challenges that the J&K player faces but he is putting in the hard yards to pursue his dream. “Me and my father work as laborers. Despite the hardships, my final aim is to represent the country in the World Cup and that keeps me going,” he added.

Ummer is thankful to Kho Kho Association of Jammu & Kashmir and Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) for helping the players from the state to pursue the dream professionally. “I’m really thankful to the Kho Kho Association of Jammu & Kashmir and Kho Kho Federation of India for supporting us and giving us a platform to play Kho Kho professionally. We have been getting a lot of guidance about our fitness regime, nutrition and diet.”

Ummer has trained under coach Bilal Ahmed Bhagat and is now a part of the training camp that is taking place at JLN Stadium in New Delhi. He lauded the initiative and added that it’s a chance for the players to enhance their skills. “Coaches in camp are very good. Moreover, there are a lot of players from different states and we get to learn a lot from each other including new skills and cultural habits,” he concluded.

India is all set to host the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup from 13-19th January, 2025 in New Delhi.