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The 2015 IBSF Billiards World Championship reinforced India’s dominance in cue sports, over the past few years. With cueists such as Pankaj Advani notching up as many as 14 world titles, India has swiftly climbed the cue-sports hierarchy to announce themselves as a worthy top nation contender. A major contribution to the sport’s growth in the country has been the rise of women’s billiards and Snooker.
Prior to 2013, India had never won a major women’s cue sports title on the International stage. But that all changed, during the 2013 IBSF World Championship, where the duo of Vidya Pillai and Arantxia Sanchis would go onto to win the team gold medal. Since then Indian women’s cue sports has consistently medalled on the world stage.
Nobody embodies that spirit more than Pune-based World Champion Arantxa Sanchis.
Transition from junior to senior level
At the recently concluded World Championshipin Australia, Sanchis went onto create history by becoming the first woman from India to win an individual world title in both Billiards and Snooker. The only other cueist from India to do that? Yes, you guessed right, Pankaj Advani.
The final was an all-Indian affair between Sanchis and Bangalore-based cueist Revanna Nagaraj, with the former winning by close to 200 points.
Despite such major victories, womens cue sports has been plagued by sponsorship and funding issues. Unlike their male counterparts, they are not offered any public sector jobs and barely have any finances to fund their trips to various international tournaments.
Now 25, Sanchis has done what most India athletes from India dream of, she has reached the pinnacle of her sport and is still determined to bring laurels to her country. She told Sportskeeda, “I was a regular Army kid and till I was 14 or 15, I had no idea about billiards or Snooker. So my father used to regularly frequent the Army club and that’s where I asked my father whether I could try or not. Luckily, the first shot I tried, I potted the ball, so the love affair started there.”
The 10-year love affair with the sport has seen Sanchis accumulate over 10 national and international titles. She is also the youngest ever senior national champion in the sport’s history, lifting the Snooker World Championship at the age of just 23. She said. “When we lifted the 2013 title, it was a stamp of recognition, yes we have finally made it, because prior to that we had not won more than a bronze at any international event.”
She added, “I was aware of the relaities, that I couldn’t solely build a career in cue sports, so I completed my education at Symbiosis and topped my batch. Thanks to Credit Suisse, they gave me a job and some off hours for practice. They give me a 2 hours a day off the job, so that I can go practice. But, if we can get government jobs like our male counterparts so that we can focus solely on the sport, it would be great. Because I know my best is yet to come.
Fighting a rare eye disease to excel in her sport
Sanchis has fought several obstacles to pursue her passion. In 2013, she was diagnosed with Kerataconus, a degenerative eye disease, which affects the magnitude of one’s eyesight. This was a massive blow for her cue-sports career, as the sport’s intrinsics demanded her aim to be the best. She said, “A little bit of light used to really affect my eyes, but when the diagnosis started I slowly got used to it. Matches used to last for four to five hours and it used to take it’s toll, but it taught me a lot. After that pariticular period, I feel I can overcome any and every obstacle ahead of me.”
She also credits her perfomances to her Army background, she said, “Army life brought in a lot of discipline within me, I had a supportive father, who made sure I didn’t lose focus and here I am today.”
The Current Indian national Billiards Champion, Sanchis has been consistently rising the National hierarchy. After winning a total of seven sub-junior and junior titles, she graduated to the senior level in style by winning the National Snooker Championship in 2012. Despite such strong showings, funding has been hard to come by for India’s latest cue-sports prodigy.
Two world titles, and no support, what else do you want?: Arantxa Sanchis’ father
Colonel Esmond Jules Sanchis, Arantxa’s father said, “I am an Army man and I know what it means to devote your entire life for your country. Here you have someone who has won close two world titles and we have no corporate or government funding for her? Okay, let’s get into the intrinsics shall we. She has to attend three to four International tournaments a year and all we ask for is travel and accomodation, which will be not more that six to seven lakhs. What is that for a corporate organisation or the government. In return, their name is plastered everywhere for my daughter’s achievements?”
He added, “Even after her career is over, she won’t be a burden to them. She has a gold medal from Symbiosis in Finance. I don’t see any reason why she shouldn’t be getting any sponsor as she will be an asset wherever she goes.”
Arantxa added, “I would ask potential sponsors to look at us and young cueists as we are making a lot of name for the country abroad. People now fear us as one of the top nations in the women’s circuit. So, they should really look to promote their brand through us.”
Despite the lack of support and coverage, Arantxa remains positive about the future, “I am far from over with the sport and am still extremetly motivated. Next up is the World Snooker Championship in Egypy, for which I begin practice tomorrow and IBSF will now start hosting ranking tournaments across the world. So, I hope sponsors come forward and support me with my endeavours. Apart from that, I will also defend my domestic title.”
It’s not only Sanchis, who has mentioned the lack of support. Former World Champion Vidya Pillai has also been vocal in her stance. She had told Sportskeeda, “We work as hard as any of the other sportspersons and we don't even expect to get paid as much. However, we also represent the national tri-colour and tears do roll down our eyes when the national anthem is playing, during a foreign platform.”
With Women’s cue sports in India, turning a new chapter, it’s time they get the same recognition as their male counterparts.
