Brand image: Fashion-conscious Arpinder glows in glory
ASIAN GAMES SUCCESS Gold medallist at the Jakarta Games, the triple jumper says he is happy to have finally silenced his detractors who had once written him off and are now making a beeline to congratulate his father
Newly crowned Asian Games triple jump champion Arpinder Singh is fashion conscious and the number of his Instagram followers testifies to that. But the image makeover that has delighted him the most is winning over detractors in his village following the Jakarta success.
Arpinder Singh ended a 48-year wait for an Indian Games champion last month, a tribute to his perseverance despite a string of early failures that drew ridicule from his villagers.
Arpinder tried 100m, 200m, 400m and long jump before settling on triple jump, in which he is now Asia’s best. “I took to athletics at 12 but I failed in whichever event I tried. My father was very disappointed … it seemed as if I was not destined to be an athlete.
Fortunately I met coach DS Bal in Amritsar who asked me to try triple jump,” Arpinder said at a promotional event here on Tuesday .
The Jakarta triumph has transformed the 26-year-old’s life. For all the monetary gains and popularity accrued, Arpinder’s biggest satisfaction is in winning over his villagers.
Arpinder hails from Harsha Chhina village in Amritsar district, barely 20 km from the IndiaPakistan border.
His father Jagbir Singh, a retired havildar in the Indian Army, played hockey and kabaddi in his youth and spotted his son’s latent talent in athletics and encouraged him. But villagers would make fun of the boy.
However, once news of his golden feat reached them, the same detractors made a beeline for his home to congratulate his father.
“People in my village used to tell my father ‘your son won’t do well in life’.
“When I was practicing hard, nobody had anything positive to say, most of them would discourage me. But after my success, they have become my admirers and that is my biggest achievement,” he said.
EYE ON RECORD
Arpinder, followed his Asian Games gold by winning bronze in the IAAF Continental Cup in Czech Republic (first by an Indian
MUMBAI:
athlete).
He is now eyeing a recordbreaking performance in the 2019 World Championships in Doha. The first target is to better his personal best of 17.17m, achieved in 2014.
His immediate focus is on the Open Nationals in Bhubaneswar on September 24, for which he is training in Kerala.
“I could have set a record in Jakarta, but it was too humid and took a toll on me. I could not try going past the mark in the Intercontinental Cup too as I was tired attending function after function following my Asian Games success. Next year though, I am going to make it happen, hopefully.”