Youth makes Haveri proud with ‘Attyapattya’ feat, bags Krida Ratna

HAVERI: Mahesh Yarimani from Hurulikoppi village in Savanur taluk of the district, has made Haveri proud with his feats in ‘Attyapattya’, a traditional Indian sport played nine to a side. Mahesh has bagged Karnataka Krida Ratna for the year 2017.
Mahesh started practising ‘Attyapattya’ 12 years ago while studying in Class 5 at the public school in Dharwad. Since then, he has participated in umpteen events conducted at state, national and international levels, and won several medals, bringing laurels to the state.
Mahesh bagged gold medals at the 28th Junior Attyapattya held in Kerala in 2015, ‘Attyapattya’ Federation Cup in Jammu & Kashmir in 2017 and at the third South Asian Attyapattya competition held in Bhutan in 2017.
“Amidst all ups and downs, I started my sports career when I was in Class 5 at Dharwad under the guidance of my coach Veeranagouda Patil. The credit for all the achievements go to my parents and my coach. My coach took care of the expenses when I participated in several state as well as national events,” shared Mahesh.
“The sport has never acted as a hurdle in the way of my education. I passed SSLC, PUC, and degree with first class. I want to become a coach for poor rural students,” he added.
Speaking to TOI, Mahesh’s coach and Attyapatty Federation of India president Veeranagouda Patil said, “ Mahesh’s achievements have inspired several youths. He is a committed sportsman. I am confident that he has a bright future. He will bag more awards in the coming days.”