Takamitsu Kono A Buddhist Monk From Japan: Pro Kabaddi League Season 5
A third-generation Buddhist monk and vice-captain of his national team at the World Cup in 2016 from Japan, turn out for Puneri Paltan in this season of Pro Kabaddi League. But Takamitsu Kono effortlessly maintains a balance between both the roles.
Takamitsu Kono initially played rugby and was a part of the institution’s training camp. However, he switched to kabaddi a few years later when he stumbled upon a page on kabaddi on the website of the Tai Sho University, Once he went through the videos uploaded on the website, he was hooked to the game. He developed his skills and in kabaddi and went on to represent his nation at the World Cup as well
“Being a monk helps me concentrate more on kabaddi and helps me remain calm in intense moments during the match,” says the 25-year-old Takamitsu Kono.
Kono was also a part of ‘starting seven’ of the Japanese team of Kabaddi World Cup in 2016. Kono was at 8th position in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup leader board, with 19 points, and at 7th position with average 3.4 successful tackles.
As kabaddi is not a well known sport in Japan, it is picking up pace gradually, thanks to the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. “Now, there are University teams in Japan,” Kono said.
He says, he is very excited about being a part of Puneri Paltan team, which is “more like a family to him” than just a team. He says that he enjoys practising with the players, having food with them and travelling around.
Speaking about his strengths and weaknesses as a Pro Kabaddi team player, Kono says, “I have sharp eyes, which help me… I am also very observant and can anticipate the raider’s moves easily, which helps me in defending. However, I feel I need to work on skill training and gain more weight.”
The team is coached by Arjuna awardee BC Ramesh and counsellor by national kabaddi player Ashok Shinde. The team player are currently undergone for its pre season training at Symbiosis International University, Lavale Campus. Puneri Paltan, plays its home matches at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, in Pune.
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