At the TRIO Invitational Tournament 2025 held in Kuala Lumpur earlier this 12 months, Flywild, one among Chennai’s most promising Ultimate Frisbee golf equipment clinched the gold, turning into the primary membership crew from India to win a global match. Facing off gamers from totally different nations together with Indonesia, China, Japan, Thailand, and USA, Flywild performed a well-fought last in opposition to the crew Pancake Men from Philippines and emerged victorious, in what was additionally the membership’s first worldwide match participation.
Sedric Emmanuel, the crew’s captain, says they initially misplaced two matches and gained one, which meant their fourth match was to determine if they’d make it to the quarter-finals. “We initially struggled via that match. While we play with no stress again house in Chennai, this was much more difficult. We motivated one another as a crew and received via,” he says. Once they have been within the quarter-finals, their profitable streak continued.
The match was a fruits of 4 months of observe, and particular camps.
“While a few of us have performed internationally as a part of crew India in different worldwide tournaments, this was the primary worldwide journey expertise for a lot of different members,” says Siva Raman, who coached the crew and topped the stats board within the tourney because the participant with essentially the most targets and assists. “We took this as a problem, and determined to create historical past for Ultimate in India,” he provides.
Many younger gamers on the crew have inspiring tales to inform, of how their ardour for the game has modified their lives and stored them going via exhausting occasions.
During a match on the TRIO Invitational Tournament 2025 | Photo Credit: kangster_shot
Paul Pradeep, founding father of Puyal, an Ultimate membership in Chennai who was additionally Flywild’s supervisor for the TRIO match says that many gamers who take to taking part in Ultimate in Chennai, and a few who went on this match got here from deprived backgrounds.
Team captain Sedric who’s 23-years-old was job-hunting within the run-up to the match, and had additionally suffered a major monetary setback. “I needed to flip down alternatives to take part in tournaments within the UK and Portugal. However, for the TRIO invitational, the Ultimate group and my crew helped me safe funds. We are a household, a crew of brothers,” says the participant, whose father is an auto driver.
The sight of grown-up ‘annas’ diving into the sand, and throwing round a disc practically 14 years in the past is one thing Akash Palani nonetheless can’t overlook. “Many youngsters together with me from Thiruvalluvar Nagar have been launched to the sport and inspired to play. It quickly grew to become an after-school exercise. The sport has given me an identification. If you ask about AP, everybody will know me and I’ve additionally met so many individuals from the world over due to this sport,” he says.
The Ultimate group, he says, got here collectively to fund and assist him full his school training, to change into a bodily training coach. “I learnt at a younger age what ‘spirit of the sport’ means due to Ultimate, and this has guided my life all through,” says the 24-year-old participant, who additionally credit the game to having given him a possibility to go to France as a volunteer for the 2024 Summer Olympics. His teammate and a gymnastics coach, P Neelakandan says that being launched to the game at a younger age immensely helped him with publicity. “I really feel that since we don’t play for cash, we don’t battle and stick collectively,” he provides.
Given that Ultimate thrives on a sport performed for ardour throughout the nation, many gamers juggle full-time jobs and make it to observe periods via the week. S Santhosh, who works as a supply consultant with Swiggy says he finishes his work shifts from 7am to 6pm, after which heads to observe, which matches on until 10pm. “I took to taking part in Ultimate after I was 10 years previous, after seeing my brother play. The TRIO Invitational was my first worldwide match,” says the participant, whose father is a watchman.
According to Ben Ong, match director, profitable forward of the same old Asian powerhouses which can be Japan, the Philippines and Singapore has put India on everybody’s radar now.
“This is the primary time a crew from India has come this far in a match in Malaysia. Many groups that they beat on their technique to the gold medal have already instructed me they wish to come again, and stay up for taking part in the Flywild gamers once more. I’m very completely happy that every one their exhausting work and sacrifices, particularly given a number of the gamers’ monetary difficulties, has come to fruition and it was a pleasure to see them play with loads of coronary heart and win,” he says.
This unprecedented win has given the Ultimate group in Chennai, and throughout the nation, a lot to be enthused about. “I used to be a part of a crew from India that went to Malaysia in 2011 for a match. It has taken us 14 years to get that gold medal,” says Abhinav Vinayakh Shankar, a senior participant and mentor with Flywild. Abhinav, who noticed the younger Flywild crew clinch the gold as a spirit director for the match, says it was very inspiring to see the crew because the underdogs, adapt to the native situations, work collectively, and rise as much as the challenges.
“In the previous, Flywild has reached the finals in a number of tournaments in India, and has fallen brief. To see the crew seize the chance like they did in Malaysia; that is really what sport is all about,” he says.
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