Pumped up Pushpinder eyes glory at Asian Championship
With just ten more days to go before he embarks on his next challenge, Pushpinder Bharti exudes a palpable sense of expectation and nervousness.
With just ten more days to go before he embarks on his next challenge, Pushpinder Bharti exudes a palpable sense of expectation and nervousness.
Pushpinder knows the significance of the upcoming event as his performance at the 49th Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship to be held in Kitakyushu, Japan, from June 5 to 8, could dictate the direction of the rest of his burgeoning career.
In the last edition of the championship that was held at Colombo in Sri Lanka, Pushpinder managed to draw the attraction of the crowd by finishing a creditable seventh in the 85kg category.
Now a lot more experienced and fitter, Pushpinder is looking to improve upon his performance and is, in fact, targeting to return to India with a gold medal dangling from his neck.
“I am feeling good at the moment and moreover, I have gained so much experienced now. I have been preparing hard for this event for the last four months and I am confident of winning a medal in the champiosnhip,” shared the bodybuilder.
Pushpinder made it to the Indian team for the Asian Championship following a commendable performance at the National bodybuilding championship that was held at Sitara in Pune last month.
Pushpinder, who took part in the 85 kg category, finished in the top ten and earned a ticket for the championship.
The 24-year-old bodybuilder from Jammu has been working under his coach Sunil Walia for the past six years.
His decision to move to Chandigarh from Jammu seven years ago was a lifechanging one as he won a heap of medals and established himself on the national bodybuilding scene once he got in touch with Walia.
It was the Junior Mr India overall champion title which he won four years ago, that kick-started his career.
There was no looking back for Pushpinder after that as he added the Mr Chandigarh, Mr India second runner-up and Mr North India medals to his trophy cabinet.
“I moved from Jammu to Chandigarh to concentrate on my bodybuilding career. I am glad that I met Sunil sir as it was him who guided me and showed me the way. I owe my success to him. Slowly, I managed to make a name for myself in the state championships. I won the Mr Panjab University title two or three times and I never looked back after that. Representing India at the Asian Championship in Sri Lanka was an icing on the cake,” said Pushpinder, who is currently pursuing Masters in Public Administration from DAV College, Sector 10.
Even though Pushpinder’s rise to fame happended in a short span of time, his encounter with bodybuilding was rather serendipitous. Pushpinder was still in college when one of his friends took him to the nearby gym.
Watching the youngsters flexing their muscles in the mirror triggered his interest in bodybuilding. When he saw the participants in a national-level bodybuilding championship in Jammu, Pushpinder decided to follow his dreams and moved to Chandigarh.
Having come a long way since his early days in Jammu, Pushpinder doesn’t want to rest on the past laurels and is looking to improve himself everyday.
“Bodybuilding is a tedious activity and it requires a lot of patience. A person needs to work hard and devote time. I always try to improve myself and for that I devote atleast four hours daily,” he shared.