Gym trainer beats the odds to make it to international powerlifting championship

While he trains rigorously for two and a half hours a day for five days a week for the upcoming battle, he is fighting another battle: with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease

Mumbai: Ashish Pawar, 43-year-old gym trainer, will represent the country at the World United Amateur Powerlifting (WUAP) Championship to be held in Austria from September 19 to 23. While he trains rigorously for two and a half hours a day for five days a week for the upcoming battle, he is fighting another battle: with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease.

Gym trainer beats the odds to make it to international powerlifting championship

Pawar was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. Now, he has a colostomy bag attached to the left side of his stomach which collects urine. The bag is prone to leaking, however, he does not let this affect his training.

Pawar’s trainer and president of Maharashtra Powerlifting Federation, Tushar Darekar, said, “All he asks for is 10 minutes to change the bag and then he gets back to training.”

Pawar has only been training and taking part in powerlifting and weightlifting competitions for the last year. Now, Indian Powerlifting Federation has selected him for the WUAP.

“When Ashish came to me early last year, he didn’t mention anything about his medical complications. It was only later he showed me the colostomy bag,” Darekar added. Though he was weak in comparison with others at first, he was serious and hardworking to make up for it. “When I told him about the competitions, he was hesitant. But look at him now.”

Eager to test himself, but little concerned about winning, Ashish has won eight medals in district, state and national level competitions till date. He won gold in the Amateur Weightlifting And Powerlifting Association championship 2023, IIT Bombay Aavhan Weightlifting Competition 2023, and Maharashtra Powerlifting Association Championship 2022.

A thriving gym trainer with actors and businessmen among his clients, Pawar’s life came to a halt after he was diagnosed with the disease. The next two years felt like a blur, as he required four surgeries and hospitalisation—first in Hinduja Hospital, then Guru Nanak Hospital, and finally at Lilavati Hospital. When he returned home, he was a shell of his former self.

“When I looked at myself in the mirror, I cried a lot. I had gone from 70 kg to 40 kg, and could hardly walk. I had to muster up all my energy to climb four floors to my house,” Pawar said.

His medical troubles did not stop there, as he was hit with tuberculosis (TB) a year later, kickstarting another year and a half of medicines, weakness and recovery. As he was just getting back on his feet, the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

“I don’t understand people who quit after any little problem. Every problem has a solution and with God’s grace, you just have to strive towards it,” he said.

Slowly but inevitably, he got back into the swing of things. With regular exercises he could do at home, squats, deadlifts and bench-presses, he slowly built his strength, working out on the terrace during the pandemic. He restarted his gym training online over video call and then in person. Then came powerlifting and weightlifting.

Excited for the upcoming competition, however, he is still looking for a sponsor that would allow him to go for the competition and continue winning medals. Till then, he plans to continue his training. Pawar hopes to open a training studio soon.