Rower’s path to gold littered with obstacles
INDIAN rowing star Dattu Baban Bhokanal overcame many obstacles before winning the gold medal as part of India’s quadruple scull team at the recent Asian Games (Asiad) in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Hailing from Chandwad village in Maharashtra, Bhokanal, the eldest son of a well-digger, could hardly afford to pay for his studies.
So he joined his father at work. He also took on a number of odd jobs to support his two younger brothers and an ailing mother.
In 2007, Bhokanal left
school and started working at a petrol pump until his father died in 2011.
His real journey to the Asiad gold started after he joined the Indian Army the next year.
The 27-year-old said the decision was driven more by the need to serve his family than serve the nation.
“Three months after the death of my father, I joined the army to support my family. My mother’s health was my biggest concern,” Bhokanal said.
“By the end of 2012, I
started rowing. In 2013, I was selected for the Army Rowing Node in Pune for better training. After six months of practice, I won two gold medals at the national championships,” he said.
Bhokanal qualified for the Asian Games in Incheon (South Korea) in 2014.
“But things didn’t go my way. After returning, I suffered a back injury, but recovered well to become Asia’s best rower from 2016 to 2018,” he added.
But his biggest heartbreak came in 2016 when his mother
met with an accident and went into a coma.
“But I managed to keep myself composed as I had to represent the country in the Rio Olympics,” he said.
Asked about his Asiad gold this year, Bhokanal explained how he battled high fever to bring glory to the nation.
But even after his success, Bhokanal is still living with his two younger brothers.
Asked about his personal goals such as marriage, he had a quick reply: “Not in the next two years… my focus is an Olympic gold.” – IANS