Golden run: Three athletes share what it's like to taste victory

The sunshine story of three sporting stars, aged 14 to 35, includes a teenage equestrian sensation from Mumbai, fresh off winning gold at the nationals

Be it financial adversity, advancing age or looming challenges on the horizon, these three never-say-die athletes overcame it all to forge ahead, bag medals and make their families proud. We caught up with them to see what kept them going. 

The unstoppable

For 24-year-old Pankaj Mohite, the feeling of victory is yet to sink in. 

“But who’s complaining?” asks the Puneri Paltan team player. The team was the champion of the ProKabbadi League Season 10. “Certainly not me!”
 
Mohite, who grew up in Wadala, was adjudged the player of the match after his team scored a resounding victory against the Haryana Steelers in the final match earlier this month. Mohite had a nine raid points and a vital super raid that garnered four points in the final. 

From growing up in Wadala’s slums to buying his own house thanks to his achievements, Pankaj Mohite’s journey has been a rollercoaster. Pic/Shadab Khan

The lanky athlete, though, declines individual accolades, saying, “Hard work and team effort brought the trophy home. I am just glad I could play some part in the victory.”

Mohite’s path to glory began in the Ganesh Nagar slum in Wadala. He was in Class IX when he lost his father, and his mother and sister did odd jobs to keep the home going. Mohite found himself gutted with guilt at the thought of being unable to contribute towards running the house. 

Kabaddi became his lifeboat in these stormy waters. He displayed an inherent talent for the sport in school, got picked for junior teams and went on to make his mark through college and thereafter. 

“The ProKabaddi League was a life-changer,” he recalls.  “Seven months ago, I bought a flat in Wadala, where I have grown up. When I took my mother and sister from the slum to our new home, my feet hardly touched the ground. I had to touch the walls of the new house to make sure it was really happening.”

The right raider, who joined the Puneri Paltan’s team in 2018, has now set his sights on the Asian Games and Olympics. Beyond medals, he wants to prove his mettle as a young man, and carry the weight of his family on the same shoulders he hunches when attacking the opponent team. 

“I want to become a dependable head of the family for my mother and sister,” he states. 

Often dubbed the Puneri Paltan’s Pillar, Mohite is the rock of his family now.

Faster Master

Those visiting the Arab country of Qatar are often plagued by the over-used Aap Kataar Mein Hain joke. But 35-year-old Rohit Havaldar was in no mood for jokes during his recent visit. 

The former national swimming champion and Shiv Chhatrapati Rajya Krida Puraskar recipient has just returned to India after winning a silver and two bronze medals in his age group of 35 to 39, in the World Aquatics Masters Championships. He bagged silver in the 200-meter backstroke and bronze in the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter freestyle in Doha. 

A government servant and National award-winning swimmer, Rohit Havaldar brought home silver and bronze medals from Qatar last month

Havaldar’s achievement trumped his last one—he’d won a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke in Fukuoka, Japan. The master swimmer with the bureaucratic surname is, ironically, an office superintendent with the Income Tax Department’s Pune Region and posted at their Kolhapur office. 

“I trained hard in Bengaluru for two months specifically for the Doha competition. That training has borne fruit. I want to now seriously concentrate on finding the fine line between my job and pushing myself hard for future Masters meets. I want to be a keen athlete, remain sharp through training, and not fall into complacency,” he says.

Havaldar’s heart still beats for Mumbai, where his swimming journey began. He learned swimming in Mulund and his finding joy in water soon turned into a competitive sport, once he noticed he was beating others in the pool. Swimming became an all-consuming passion.
 
Havaldar went on to represent India in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. 

“We still may not have that many medals in swimming internationally, like we do in, say, shooting, but there has been huge progress. Now, we have Indian swimmers reaching the Finals, which did not happen earlier in the numbers we are seeing today. Swimming is certainly growing here and for those who are looking at the ultimate challenge, I say, stick to the sport and persevere,” he concludes. 

Spoken like a true Master, we say.

Jai Ho!

As much as the State Govt’s proposed takeover of a portion of the Mahalaxmi racecourse for a public park is raising hackles, it is also an important time for the Amateur Riders Club (ARC) based at the racecourse. Riders like Jai Singh Sabharwal of the ARC are setting examples by staying focused on the job.

Mumbai-based Sabharwal clinched gold medals at the National Equestrian Championship (NEC) in Bengaluru last month. The spunky 14-year-old took gold in the Grade III Jumping Individual Category with zero penalties, and another gold in the Six Bar Nationals (Seniors) with a height of 170 cm while riding the horse Carna De La Bryere. 

With self-belief and determination as his companions, 14-year-old Jai Sabharwal is set to conquer greater heights. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The NEC is India’s premier equestrian competition, which sees the crème de la crème of competition getting into the saddle.

Sabharwal tells mid-day he trained hard for the Nationals, with as much emphasis on the psychological aspect as the physical. “I knew the atmosphere can be intimidating and, at times, tends to overwhelm one,” says the Worli resident. “I had belief in myself and in my horse. Sustained practice and the discipline to get to the stable every single day are vital to ensure you are moving towards your goals. Yet, it is the competition that gives you that final polish, the cutting edge.” 

When an equine and an individual speak the same unique language, it stems from a great love for horses. Sabharwal has demonstrated that love since he was a child.  

“I grew up among horses at the family’s farmhouse in Kundan Valley, Kalote,” he says. Soon, horsing around, pun intended, gave way to a fierce competitive instinct and he started training and competing in equestrian competitions. 

“I took part in many competitions with smaller height fences, making sure to get them right, and from there, it was a natural progression to compete in shows with seniors. The Nationals win has given me a lot of confidence to keep going. It has given me greater self-belief and I know that I can achieve my goals if I continue working hard.” 

India, too, is riding the equestrian tide hard, with the country netting a gold medal in the sport at the Huangzhou Asian Games 2023.

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