Chief Petty Officer Rakesh Kumar Patra (born 25 February 1992) is an Indian male

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

, representing his nation at international competitions. He competed at world championships, including the

2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Antwerp, Belgium, from 30 September to 6 October 2013 at Antwerp's Sports Palace. Kōhei Uchimura won the men's all-around gold medal and finished the competition with four total med ...

in Antwerp, Belgium. He is supported by the GoSports Foundation through the

Rahul Dravid Rahul Sharad Dravid (; born 11 January 1973) is an Indian cricket coach and former captain of the Indian national team, currently serving as its head coach. Prior to his appointment to the senior men's national team, Dravid was the Head of ...

mentorship programme. He is a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Navy.

Early life and background

Rakesh got into gymnastics in the year 2003 after being inspired by his uncle Suvendu Patra, a former international gymnast in 2001. Rakesh has been working in the Indian Navy since 2010. His parents are unwell and Rakesh also has a sister whom he takes care of.

Career

Ranked 25th, he narrowly missed the Olympic qualification for Rio, 2016, as only the top 24 in the world qualify for the Olympics. Any country’s withdrawal would have given him an entry into the games, but that did not happen. At the Asian Championships, Patra qualified for the final in the Men’s Rings apparatus and finished eighth in the final. He strives for perfection and is adamant on winning a medal at Tokyo 2020. Recently, he spent 20 days on a high-performance stint in China and got the opportunity to work on his basics to improve at his sport. Rakesh looks up to five-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion, Kohei Uchimura for inspiration.

Achievements

* 2018: Qualified for the ring apparatus finals at the CWG, Gold coast * 2017: Finished 8th at the Asian Championships * 2015: Represented India – World Championship

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patra, Rakesh Kumar 1992 births Living people Indian male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Gymnasts at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Gymnasts at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Gymnasts at the 2010 Asian Games Gymnasts at the 2014 Asian Games Gymnasts at the 2018 Asian Games Sportspeople from Odisha Asian Games competitors for India Indian Navy personnel Commonwealth Games competitors for India