BAHADUR, RUPAL HONOURED

On May 7, when Avinash Sable broke the Indian record in the men’s 5000m, amongst the most satisfied was the man whose national mark had just been eclipsed. For Bahadur Prasad Singh, it had ended a three-decadelong wait for someone to improve on his national record.

While Bahadur wasn’t very happy that it took so long for his record to be broken, it was also a testament to the heights the now 57-year-old had achieved in his playing years.

For much of the 1990s, Bahadur was the predominant middle and long-distance runner in India. Apart from his 5000m record that had stood for 30 years, Bahadur’s 1500m national record of 3.38.00 set in 1995 stood for 23 years before it was broken by Jinson Johnson at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

To honour that level of dominance Prasad, who also won two gold medals at the Asian Championships, a bronze at the 1998 Asian Games and took part in two Olympic Games, was conferred the Hero Unsung champion honour at the first-ever Sportstar North Sports Conclave held in Lucknow.

Crucial member

Becoming only the second Indian to win a medal in the 400m at the junior worlds and the first to win medals in multiple events, Rupal Chaudhary is now being seen as a critical member of the Indian relay team that will be looking to defend its relay gold from the 2018 Asian Games. It’s little surprise that Rupal was honoured with the Hero Emerging Award at the Sportstar North Sports Conclave.

Rupal’s desire to run began in 2016 after watching the Rio Olympics on TV. “I saw the Rio Olympics in 2016. I saw PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik won medals there. After that, I decided I wanted to become an athlete,” she says.

Rupal has only become faster with every race. Her coaches are optimistic she will get even better. Rupal though insists she’s a long way from done.

“My dream from the very start was to go to the Olympics and represent India.

“I’ve just started my senior career now. There is still a long way for me to go.abhi toh bohot bhook hai (Right now there is a lot of hunger),” she told Sportstar.

SANDEEP SAXENA (L-R) Navneet Sehgal (Additional Chief Secretary, Sports, UP Govt) honoured former athlete Bahadur Prasad and U-20 World Athletics championships medallist Rupal Chaudhary with the Hero Unsung Champion and Emerging Hero Awards respectively. LV Navaneeth (CEO, THG) is at right.