Addy Raj: To run on winged feet

Before becoming a model and TV heartthrob, Indian actor Addy Raj was once hailed one of the 20 fastest runners in India.

That’s right, India as in Taj Mahal India. And Slumdog Millionaire India.

Addy, whose real name is Adhiraj Gaur, long dreamed of being one of the fastest in his country and was a professional track and field athlete in India before the acting bug bit him over here.

“At age 9, I started training on my own. Everywhere I go, I would run,” he recalls. “I would run from our house to school. I would run in the streets. I would run in the field. I would just run anywhere as long as my legs would keep up with me.”

Because of his passion for the sport, he went on and competed in different running events in India, and by 2014 he was already recognized as one of the swiftest off the blocks.

“My best sport was track and field and I used to be a 100- meter sprinter,” he says. “I won in different running competitions in India. Through hard work, I had fulfilled my childhood dream.”

It was around the same time that Ateneo de Manila came knocking because of his athletic skills, opening the way for a chance to take his passion for running to a different country.

“My school in India is an international school and has a lot of exchange programs. So, we had an exchange program with Ateneo de Manila, Philippines,” Addy bares.

“I think they chose me for because they learned of my running skills. Since I came here, I have been winning medals for my school.”

Addy shares some tips he got into early back in his home country. “I started getting fit when I was 13. Now at 21, I’m in tip-top shape. It’s just eating less and having the right fitness regimen,” he says, adding, “eat your vegetables and move a lot. Get into running because that will exercise your whole body.”

Presently, this graphic arts student/runner is seen as one of the leading men of the GMA-7 romantic-comedy teleserye Meant To Be.