Gurindervir Singh became the toast of the town when he became the fastest Indian sprinter in the men’s 100m event at the Indian Grand Prix 1, last week.
It was his best moment on the track. But he had to overcome taunts from seniors to reach here.
At the Youth Asian Championships in 2017, the 16-year-old barely made the cut, finishing 16th out of as many athletes.
“I had the most extraordinary experience of my life,” Gurindervir tells TimesofIndia.com.
“The coaches and other players, even my own roommate, taunted me. They said I would never win a medal, that I was lucky to be here as a ‘best loser,’” Gurindervir recalls. “That hurt me a lot.”
Hearing those comments, Gurindervir Singh isolated himself, and even skipped meals. Then came his father, Kamaljeet Singh’s call, making him re-think about his self worth.
“I didn’t tell anyone at home about my situation, not even my coach (Sarabjeet Singh). When I spoke to my father, I told him that I had qualified, but I didn’t mention my rank,” Gurindervir reveals.
“When my father asked me, ‘What are the chances of winning a medal?’ I told him that second or third place was possible. Hearing my reply, he got so angry and said, ‘If you have the mentality of aiming for second or third place, how will you ever come first? If you think like this, then don’t run!’”
Gurindervir comes from a sporting background. His father is a volleyball player, while his grandfather was a kabaddi player.
“My father started training me early. We didn’t have fancy facilities, but he taught me skipping, jumping, and running. I used to train barefoot,” Gurindervir pointed out.
However, the turning point came when he watched Usain Bolt set the World Record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“That’s when I knew I wanted to be a sprinter,” he reveals.
Leave a Reply