Ahmedabad, June 8 (IANS) What began as a quest for flexibility and artistic excellence has blossomed into a remarkable sporting success story for American mother-daughter duo Kemi and Kimani Blake, who returned home from the World Yogasana Championships in Ahmedabad with a gold and a bronze medal, respectively.

Competing against some of the world’s finest yogasana athletes at the EKA Arena, 35-year-old Kemi clinched gold in the Back Bend Individual category, while her 16-year-old daughter Kimani secured bronze in the Junior Artistic Individual event.

Their achievements carried an added layer of significance given their deep connection with India, where they trained alongside local athletes at a Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Ahmedabad in the lead-up to the championships.

For Kemi, yoga was initially a means to support her dream of becoming a professional contortionist. She had moved from New York to Las Vegas to train at the renowned Cirque du Soleil academy, hoping to build a career as a performance artist. However, yoga soon evolved from a supplementary practice into a life-changing discipline.

“Though, I have been practicing yoga for many years now, I never thought of coming to compete in World Yogasana Championships here as I thought I was not good enough to compete against the Indian players. But one fellow Romanian player wrote to me asking me to come and participate as she used to follow my Instagram page and also some coaches from India encouraged me. And I am happy that I could win the gold medal here,” Kemi told SAI Media.

Yoga eventually became much more than a tool to improve physical performance.

“I started yoga to improve flexibility for the performances I was training for. But as I started doing yoga regularly, it gave me purpose and stability. I started eating right, began sleeping on the floor and my outlook towards life changed,” she said.

Her growing passion for the discipline led her to complete a one-year yoga certification course through Bilva Yogashala. She later spent a month in India studying advanced techniques before developing her own coaching programme focused on healing and self-discovery.

The decision to compete in India also inspired her daughter Kimani to take the sport more seriously. Already involved in gymnastics and aspiring to become a professional dancer, Kimani initially accompanied her mother on the trip but soon found herself preparing for the biggest competition of her young career.

“I had learnt the basics from her and also practiced it regularly as it helps me calm down easily. But I seriously started training for the world championships three weeks ago. I am extremely happy that I could win a bronze medal here,” she added.

The duo arrived in Ahmedabad several weeks before the championships to train with Indian coaches and adapt to the competitive demands of yogasana. Along the way, they found support not only from coaches but also from fellow competitors.

“When we landed here, our bags did not arrive in time. But the Indian team which was training at the SAI centre here welcomed us and even taught us a few things. Even when I was warming up before my match, one of them told me about the mistakes I was making and that helped me,” Kemi said.

The warmth and camaraderie they experienced left a lasting impression, reinforcing their bond with India and the global yogasana community.

Looking ahead, Kemi hopes the rapidly growing discipline will one day earn a place on the Olympic programme.

“Plenty of people practice yoga but yogasana as a sport is completely different in a way. The focus and precision required is very different from practicing yoga for well-being and I am willing to play any role required to see Yogasana at the Olympics,” she added.

–IANS

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