When para-cyclists Shaikh Arshad and Jyoti Gaderia pedal for medals at the Paris Olympics, there will be one man who will be tracking their success closely.
Aditya Mehta
, who set up an eponymous foundation in Hyderabad 11 years ago where the duo trained, is key to India securing its first-ever cycling qualifications for the
Paralympics
.
Born into a bania family, Mehta says that before a bike accident in 2006 resulted in an amputated right leg, the only thing on his mind was making money and running his family business.
He was struggling to adjust to his new prosthetic leg when a local cycling club drew him back to the sport he had loved as a kid.
“I wanted to cycle, but the prosthetic leg made it quite difficult. I sat with the person who made the leg to understand the dynamics. After falling down many times, I understood what was needed to make a prosthetic limb more adaptable to cycling,” he says.
Mehta became a Limca Book of Records holder for being the first cyclist to complete a 100km ride in five and a half hours and went on to win a silver at the Asian cycling championship as well. Many from his foundation have also brought home medals in Asian and world championships. The foundation has also tied up with Kendriya Vidyalayas to organise competitions and talent identification programmes where selected candidates are provided free accommodation and training.
Mehta is not the only one using his lessons as a para-athlete to ease the path for others with disabilities.
Gaurav Khanna
, head coach of India’s para-badminton team, took a loan of Rs 2 crore to set up India’s first dedicated para-badminton academy in Lucknow five years ago.
“I am still paying back the loan, but I was very clear that my players couldn’t train at places where the roofs were leaking, and the wooden flooring creaked,” says the Padma Shri recipient, whose career as a badminton player was cut short by a knee injury in 1998.
At the last Paralympics in Tokyo, the national team he coached won four medals and he’s aiming to double that in Paris.
Around 80 athletes train for free at Khanna's academy. If some senior athletes get sponsorships, they take care of their own costs, so that the resources can be diverted to youngsters, Khanna says. But it’s not really a smooth ride.
Travel and equipment costs are high, while the lack of ‘commercial value’ for para-sports often makes sponsors wary of long-term commitments, says para-athlete
Shiva Prasad
, who started the Divyaang Myithri Sports Academy in 2016.
Prasad, who was struck by polio at the age of two, has represented India in wheelchair cricket and tennis, even sharing the court with tennis legend Leander Paes. Last year, he was vice-captain of the Indian wheelchair cricket team. Now retired, his sole focus is the academy where he organises competitions and coaches for players with disabilities across Karnataka.
A professional cycle or a titanium alloy wheelchair can cost a few lakhs.
“The wheelchair that most international para-athletes use costs between Rs 4 lakh and 5 lakh, while normal wheelchairs are priced around Rs 40,000. I couldn’t afford the lighter one, so I competed with the regular one,” Prasad says.
Such foundations mostly rely on CSR spends from corporates, individual donors and one-off grants from states. Prasad has also knocked on the doors of Indian cricketing body BCCI but got no support so far. But still academies like Prasad’s continue to help those with disabilities take to sport.
Bengaluru’s
Tharun MS
was just a regular 10-year-old boy who dreamt of playing cricket professionally for India one day when a fall from the first floor of his building left him paralysed from the neck down. Bats and balls were replaced by a wheelchair and painkillers, and the playground became a distant memory. But four years ago, the photograph of a Chennai man playing wheelchair cricket gave him hope.
Tharun got in touch and was directed to Prasad’s academy.
“I hesitated for many days. I didn’t think I could ever play again and was not comfortable going out in public at all,” says the 32-year-old.
When he finally went to the academy, he was surprised to see many like him taking part in a cricket match. He says getting back to cricket helped him turn his life around, not just physically but emotionally too.
“There was a time when I thought I didn’t deserve romantic companionship. It took a while to see myself as worthy of that,” he smiles.
English (US) ·