Desi ghee made him strong, say parents of Deepak Lather

ROHTAK:IT was celebration time at 18-year-old Deepak Lather’s village in Haryana’s Jind district after he clinched a bronze medal in 69 kg category to become the youngest Indian weightlifting medallist at the Commonwealth Games (CWG).

Lather’s parents, who watched their son win the medal in his maiden CWG tournament, danced on the beats of dhol and distributed sweets to the entire village. Both of them are farmers and till their land at Shadipur village in Julana tehsil.

Lather’s father Bijender said his son used to help him in all types of work on their agriculture land, and the same had made him strong for weightlifting. “At the age of 11-12, he would pick a 50-kg heavy sack of fodder on his back. Even I required helpers in picking the sack but he would do it alone comfortably. He also learned to drive the tractor at a tender age and helped me in ploughing, sowing and harvesting crops,” he said.

Lather’s mother Raj Bala, who also helps her husband in agriculture, said her son ate desi ghee made of cow milk in childhood to stay strong. “Before leaving for this tournament too, I gave him a pack of desi ghee. He is very focused in whatever he attempted. I have not spoken to him for a long time. He had said that he will call me after winning a medal. I am waiting for his call now,” she said.

Lather left home after class 5 to join the Army Sports Institute in Pune. He initially trained as a diver but his father said a coach from Czechoslovakia saw his potential in weightlifting and encouraged him to switch his sport. Since then, there has been no turning back.

Lather had in 2015, broke the Commonwealth Youth Games record in Samoa when he won the 62 kg (Under-17) category. At the Commonwealth Championships in 2017, Lather won gold in the 69 kg category and bronze in the senior men’s section. At the age of 15, Lather was given the National Child Award for exceptional achievement by the then President Pranab Mukherjee.

Bijender said this was just the beginning for his son and he will continue to bring more medals in the upcoming Asian Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.