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I was thrilled when Sachin sir congratulated me : Yogesh Kathuniya
The Delhi University graduate tells us that his phone flooded by calls and messages from his classmates and faculty.
Para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya is back in India after clinching the silver medal at the Tokyo paralympics for the nation despite battling Covid-19 and training for months without a coach. “Chaar mahine covid ho gaya tha mujhe toh uss wajah se main ghar chala gaya tha aur uske baad maine sirf online coaching kari sir ke saath aur self manage kiya apni training Olympics ke liye,” he shares.
It was a dream come true for the 24 year old, when his favourite sports person reached out to him after his win. “Sachin Tendulkar sir ne mujhe message kiya tha aur woh mere liye sabse proud moment tha, kyunki woh god maane jaate hai cricket ke aur woh mere favourite cricketer rahe hai bachpan se,” says Kathuniya.
What went in the mind of Kathuniya a night before he brought a laurel to the country? “Nervous tha main aur 2 am ko uth gaya tha main raat mein. Aur mujhe uske baad neend nahi aayi. Maine khoob koshish ki sone ki par neend hi nahi aayi. Subah 9:30 baje event tha. Jaise hi maine field enter kiya main bahut excited ho gaya. Tab saari nervousness khatam ho gayi thi.”
The Delhi University graduate tells us that his phone flooded by calls and messages from his classmates and faculty. “Mere saare college friends ne Mujhe congratulatory calls kare. Mere juniors jinko main jaanta bhi nahi tha unhone ne bhi call kiye. Professor Sima Joshi ma’am ne mujhe college invite kiya hai jab main India wapas jaaon. Woh mere commerce department ki HOD thi jab main KMC mein padtha tha.”
Kathuniya credits his college life in playing a major role to get him to where he is today. “My seniors at Kirori Mal college motivated me to get in to sports. Kabhi kabhi toh aisa hota tha ki game chodhne ka mann karta tha kyunki bahut zyaada pareshan ho gaya tha main beech mein jab performance achhi nahi ho pa rahi thi, lekin mere dost hamesha mujhe motivate karte the ki tu kar tu bahut achha kar sakta hai. Aaj jab main sabko phone karta hun toh woh bahut zyaada khudh hote hai medal dekh ke. College mein main kafi padhai karta tha aur main aur mere dost Ashoka lawn mein baithte the aur FMS mein khaana khaane jaate the. Waha baith ke dosto ke saath gappe ladata tha.”
Encouraging youngsters with special needs to become para-athletes, Kathuniya says, “Aspiring para athletes should work hard. If a para athlete doesn’t work hard, it becomes very difficult to perform. Disability ko aise na samjho ki woh tum kuch nahi kar sakte - disability yeh nahi hoti. Disable ka matlab hota hai this is able ki matlab yeh kar sakta hai!”
Author tweets @FizzyBuddha
