The Best Sports Gear Money Can Buy

The Olympics, the world’s greatest sporting competition, started with just one race, all the runners ran nude, and competed for glory and laurel wreaths.

Today, medals replace wreaths, and the glory comes packaged with prize money, endorsement deals and appearance fees. And far from competing clothed in nothing but nature, today’s top-flight athletes use the very best gear that science can cook up.

Gear isn’t everything — there’s that little matter of talent and superhuman amounts of hard work — but the right equipment can help even us weekend warriors push our game up a notch or two. So, here you go: The best sporting equipment that money can buy.

Tennis
Roger Federer’s Wilson K Factor (Rs. 12,000 - Rs. 14,000) is a racquet to consider. Mahesh Bhupathi also uses the brand. Niranjan Ramesh, coach, Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, says it is “durable, has a better balance, and the weight is perfect for serve-rally play.” He says there are few other racquets that would last six months of rigorous play. The Wilson’s good for the serve-volley player; if you’re more of an Andy Murray power player, then the Head Crossbow 10 (Rs. 10,000 - 12,000) is a good option; baseline players could check out Nadal’s Babolat Aero Pro Drive (Rs. 12,000 - 14,000).

Cycling
Bikes fit into three categories: Mountain, stunt and road bikes. Favourite among road cyclists in India is the Trek Maddon (Rs. 25,000 - 35,000*) used by Lance Armstrong, and admired for its aerodynamic capabilities and speed. “It is like the Jaguar of bikes,” says Amit Bhowmik, avid cyclist and owner of cyclists.in. If you ever feel the need for a collapsible bike, the Dahon Tourando (Rs. 24,000 - 30,000*) would be your choice. “Jamis Turango [Rs. 24,000] is one of the best bikes that you could buy,” says Rahul Mulani, cyclist and owner of Gear, Mumbai. And for mountain bikes, the Jeep Cherokee Sport Disc Mountain bikes (Rs. 12,000 - Rs. 15,000*). “You could drop the Jeep of a cliff and there would not be a scratch,” Bhowmik says.

Golf
Brandon de Souza, one the country’s best golf coaches, says, “You have several low-, mid- and high-range golf clubs available in the market today. Spalding is a brand that allows anyone to enjoy the sport as they cost Rs 11,000 for a full set.” Jeev Milkha Singh, the highest ranked Indian golfer in the world, uses mainly Callaway golf clubs; the most expensive Callaway set in India is available for Rs. 1,45,000.

Cricket
“The bat chooses you,” says Kiran More, former Indian wicket keeper and selector. He recommends Shane Watson’s choice: Gunns and Moore. Retailers in the many sports shops around Metro Cinema, Mumbai, recommend the GM Catalyst Limited Edition: “Ideally suited for power plays.” More adds, “GM has their own willow trees, so they usually are better.” Prices of bats are negotiable: GM Catalyst LE costs Rs. 18,000 - 24,000; SS Ton Matrix costs Rs. 10,000 - 12,800.

Scuba diving
Scuba is catching on, but equipment isn’t easy to get. Beginners usually rent the gear from scuba operators.  If you’re sure it’s the sport for you, try shopping abroad. In India, try Barracuda diving (barracudadiving.com) in Goa. It is the authorised dealer in India for Scuba Pro. Venkatesh Charloo, the owner, tells us that rigs start out at Rs. 75,000 and go on upwards from there. It delivers across India.

Squash
This racquet sport sees most players going for Head or Wilson. However, Ritwik Bhattacharya, the first Indian to break into the top 50 world squash rankings, prefers Prince. A famous coach, who did not want to be quoted as he represented another brand, agrees: “In the market right now, Prince has the best technology and racquet.” Squash rackets range from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,500. The most expensive Prince is the O3 Speedport (Rs. 7,000 - 8,000*).

* Prices do not include shipping.