Golden run: Three athletes share what it's like to taste victory

Be it financial adversity advancing age or looming challenges on the horizon these three neversaydie athletes overcame it all to forge ahead bag medals and make their families proud We caught up with them to see what kept them goingThe unstoppableFor 24yearold Pankaj Mohite the feeling of victory is yet to sink inldquoBut whorsquos complainingrdquo asks the Puneri Paltan team player The team was the champion of the ProKabbadi League Season 10 ldquoCertainly not merdquoMohite who grew up in Wadala was adjudged the player of the match after his team scored a resounding victory against the Haryana Steelers in the final match earlier this month Mohite had a nine raid points and a vital super raid that garnered four points in the finalFrom growing up in Wadalarsquos slums to buying his own house thanks to his achievements Pankaj Mohitersquos journey has been a rollercoaster PicShadab KhanThe lanky athlete though declines individual accolades saying ldquoHard work and team effort brought the trophy home I am just glad I could play some part in the victoryrdquoMohitersquos path to glory began in the Ganesh Nagar slum in Wadala He was in Class IX when he lost his father and his mother and sister did odd jobs to keep the home going Mohite found himself gutted with guilt at the thought of being unable to contribute towards running the houseKabaddi became his lifeboat in these stormy waters He displayed an inherent talent for the sport in school got picked for junior teams and went on to make his mark through college and thereafterldquoThe ProKabaddi League was a lifechangerrdquo he recalls ldquoSeven months ago I bought a flat in Wadala where I have grown up When I took my mother and sister from the slum to our new home my feet hardly touched the ground I had to touch the walls of the new house to make sure it was really happeningrdquoThe right raider who joined the Puneri Paltanrsquos team in 2018 has now set his sights on the Asian Games and Olympics Beyond medals he wants to prove his mettle as a young man and carry the weight of his family on the same shoulders he hunches when attacking the opponent teamldquoI want to become a dependable head of the family for my mother and sisterrdquo he statesOften dubbed the Puneri Paltanrsquos Pillar Mohite is the rock of his family nowFaster MasterThose visiting the Arab country of Qatar are often plagued by the overused Aap Kataar Mein Hain joke But 35yearold Rohit Havaldar was in no mood for jokes during his recent visitThe former national swimming champion and Shiv Chhatrapati Rajya Krida Puraskar recipient has just returned to India after winning a silver and two bronze medals in his age group of 35 to 39 in the World Aquatics Masters Championships He bagged silver in the 200meter backstroke and bronze in the 100meter backstroke and 200meter freestyle in DohaA government servant and National awardwinning swimmer Rohit Havaldar brought home silver and bronze medals from Qatar last monthHavaldarrsquos achievement trumped his last onemdashhersquod won a bronze medal in the 200meter backstroke in Fukuoka Japan The master swimmer with the bureaucratic surname is ironically an office superintendent with the Income Tax Departmentrsquos Pune Region and posted at their Kolhapur officeldquoI trained hard in Bengaluru for two months specifically for the Doha competition That training has borne fruit I want to now seriously concentrate on finding the fine line between my job and pushing myself hard for future Masters meets I want to be a keen athlete remain sharp through training and not fall into complacencyrdquo he saysHavaldarrsquos heart still beats for Mumbai where his swimming journey began He learned swimming in Mulund and his finding joy in water soon turned into a competitive sport once he noticed he was beating others in the pool Swimming became an allconsuming passionHavaldar went on to represent India in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and Asian GamesldquoWe still may not have that many medals in swimming internationally like we do in say shooting but there has been huge progress Now we have Indian swimmers reaching the Finals which did not happen earlier in the numbers we are seeing today Swimming is certainly growing here and for those who are looking at the ultimate challenge I say stick to the sport and persevererdquo he concludesSpoken like a true Master we sayJai HoAs much as the State Govtrsquos proposed takeover of a portion of the Mahalaxmi racecourse for a public park is raising hackles it is also an important time for the Amateur Riders Club ARC based at the racecourse Riders like Jai Singh Sabharwal of the ARC are setting examples by staying focused on the jobMumbaibased Sabharwal clinched gold medals at the National Equestrian Championship NEC in Bengaluru last month The spunky 14yearold took gold in the Grade III Jumping Individual Category with zero penalties and another gold in the Six Bar Nationals Seniors with a height of 170 cm while riding the horse Carna De La BryereWith selfbelief and determination as his companions 14yearold Jai Sabharwal is set to conquer greater heights PicSayyed Sameer AbediThe NEC is Indiarsquos premier equestrian competition which sees the cregraveme de la cregraveme of competition getting into the saddleSabharwal tells midday he trained hard for the Nationals with as much emphasis on the psychological aspect as the physical ldquoI knew the atmosphere can be intimidating and at times tends to overwhelm onerdquo says the Worli resident ldquoI had belief in myself and in my horse Sustained practice and the discipline to get to the stable every single day are vital to ensure you are moving towards your goals Yet it is the competition that gives you that final polish the cutting edgerdquoWhen an equine and an individual speak the same unique language it stems from a great love for horses Sabharwal has demonstrated that love since he was a child ldquoI grew up among horses at the familyrsquos farmhouse in Kundan Valley Kaloterdquo he says Soon horsing around pun intended gave way to a fierce competitive instinct and he started training and competing in equestrian competitionsldquoI took part in many competitions with smaller height fences making sure to get them right and from there it was a natural progression to compete in shows with seniors The Nationals win has given me a lot of confidence to keep going It has given me greater selfbelief and I know that I can achieve my goals if I continue working hardrdquoIndia too is riding the equestrian tide hard with the country netting a gold medal in the sport at the Huangzhou Asian Games 2023