I work for my dream and that is to get 100 medals for my country: Senior Olympian Parag Patil | FirstSportz Exclusive


I work for my dream and that is to get 100 medals for my country: Senior Olympian Parag Patil | FirstSportz Exclusive

In a country where life after 40 for a common man is just getting up late, going to the office and coming back to home becomes a habit, there are people like Parag Patil, who wake up early, train as hard as they can and eventually win more and more laurels for the country.

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Born on 2nd January 1979, in Pune’s Chinchwad city, Patil is a professional senior athlete, who represents India in 100 m run, Long Jump and Triple Jump.

Patil’s love for the sport was immense and according to him, representing the country at various International levels was a dream for him.

“Love for the sport, I always loved what I do and this is something that has kept me going and motivated at the same time. Representing India at various levels was always a dream for me and when you work for your dreams then the motivation comes from within”, Patil told FirstSportz in an exclusive interview.

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‘Age’ is just a ‘number’, a proverb which is truly justified by people like Parag Patil.

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About his thoughts and what led him to forget everything and give his all for the country, Patil said, “My goals were very much clear and when you have certain goals then no obstacles can stop you. I knew the journey won’t be easy but the destiny which was to make India proud kept me determined and focused.”

“I believe living in the present is the key, one step at a time and you can achieve whatever you want,” he further added.

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Every person who do something extraordinary has a specific goal or a specific landmark in their mind. If an athlete does well for their country, somewhere or the other they feels about the government supporting them to the fullest but there are some like Patil, who never asked anything in return and kept on performing well for the nation.

“Whatever I am today is because of my country, I feel proud to be called an Indian when I perform at various events. The things that you get back in return do not have to be monetary every time, sometimes it is about the feeling of performing for your country and the whole country cheering for you.” Patil said.

“I have seen a lot of Ups and Downs in my journey but the feeling of representing my country has always helped me overcome everything.” Patil further added.

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When asked about his career’s biggest achievements, Patil seemed to be in a bit of confusion, as for him, every medal he has won was his biggest achievement. However, one of his medals has a bit more difficult and challenging story which he illustrates here…

“All are the biggest achievements for me as each medal has a story of struggle, sacrifices, and hard times. But one medal had a different story because I had taken the biggest risk of my life to win that medal. On 25 April 2017, I was performing my long jump event in the senior Olympics, Auckland, New Zealand. While performing my 3rd jump I got into a major accident while landing. My knee twisted badly. I was taken out of the ambulance. The doctor and physiotherapist available at the venue refused to touch and strictly instructed not to walk for the toilets also. But reaching Auckland was not an easy journey. As I am from a humble background somehow managing my bread and butter feeds my family. So going abroad to participate in a game is out of the question. I am managing these funds with the Crowdfunding or with some loans. So with this difficulty, I have reached here and I cannot go without any medal this was in my mind.”

He further added, “After reaching home I took some therapy and some medicines to reduce the pain because it was unbearable pain in the knee. On the second day that was 26th of April 2017, I had my triple jump event and in the night there was only one thought going in my mind that in any circumstances, in any case, I have to perform in the event. I was not sure about the medal but I was sure about the participation. On 26 April 2017 I got up early in the morning and I asked my caretaker to take me to the ground for participation. He said he won’t  because the injury was so bad and if something would happen wrong I would have lost my leg that was the bigger risk I have to take.”

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Concluding the story, Patil says, “I told my caretaker, no problem, we will go and participate. We will see how I can do that. I was not able to walk but still, I was confident about the participation and willpower was like anything. So we went to the venue and I participated in the event. I jumped 10.60 and won a silver medal for the country and the best part or recognition was the audience giving me a standing audition after completing the event. So this was the biggest medal which I have won in my life after having an injury but the dedication and passion were to raise the Indian flag Tiranga so this is my biggest achievement.”

If there are achivements, accolades and laurels under one’s name, it’s sure that they have come through many hardships and struggles. Similarly, Patil also went through many of such disappointments. And according to him, some of them were due to the lack of proper support from the country!

Illustrating his biggest disappointment, Patil said, “The disappointments are many but few of them are related to the nation. In 2013 I was not able to participate in Australian master Games due to lack of funds, where I lost 4 medals due to non participation, the second event was European master games which was in 2015 where I lost 2 medals, Americas master Games in 2016 where I lost 2 medals, European master Games in 2019 where I lost 3 medals, and World Masters Athletics championship in 2019 participate just because I was not having the funds In My Pocket and I was struggling with my bread and butter and with a lot of a financial crisis.”

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“Even now I have a lot of loans on me but the passion and dedication I will complete my hundred words for a country in favourable conditions.” he further added.

The ‘Senior Olympics‘ is still a topic many people are unaware of. However, Patil explains how it goes like and at what age one can enroll into it.

“The Senior Olympic is formally known as world masters games. In 1985 International masters games association (IMGA) along with the International Olympic committee started these games. The idea behind this was to give justice to the athletes who were not able to participate in professional events due to age. So this game was conducted. These events are conducted every 4 years in the next year of the main Olympics. There are more than 30 games in which you can participate and these are based on the games conducted in the Olympics.”

“Earlier the starting age was 40+ but now this has been reduced down to 30+ for upper there is no age limit” he adds.

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For helping athletes like him to take part in the Senior Olympics or even at any competitive levels, Patil has a Foundation called ‘Letzrun‘, here he personally trains athletes for competitions, and not just this, people can enroll themselves for fitness.

Talking about his academy, Patil said, “My goal is to win 100 medals for the country, along with that I want to be the helping hand for not only the people who want to showcase themselves in the Olympics but also for the ones who want to live a healthy happy life.”

“We focus on the overall development of an individual right from a 5-year-old to a 75+, we want people to start focusing on their mental as well as physical health,” he added.

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In 2019, Patil competed in Australian Senior Olympics Masters where he came up with flying colours after winning Silver in 100m run, 200m run, Triple Jump, and also a bronze in the long jump. Later, he was also recognized by the Premier of South Australia for the tremendous performance.

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Talking about his experience there, he said, “When everything goes as per your plan, you feel a lot more focused and motivated but suddenly when something happens for which you are not prepared to just take you to that dark cave from which it gets really difficult to find your way back home. The same thing happened with me as well, I was all set to perform at the Australian Senior Olympics Master but then suddenly the sponsors stepped back. I belong to a very ordinary family and with sponsors stepping back I did not have anything left in my hands.”

“Flying to Australia without the sponsors was a very tough task, somehow I managed to get the crowdfunding of 100AUD and in that particular event, I was able to win 4 Silvers and 1 Bronze medal. Life puts you in tough situations but how you react to them makes a huge difference in your life.” he further added.

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Talking about his future plans Patil said, “As I already told you that I am a person who believes in one step at a time so there is nothing such as plans in my head. I work for my dream and that is to get 100 medals for my country and I will surely do it. Also by means of LetsRun India & MaxFit India contribute towards the development of the new medallist for the country.”

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Also, Patil’s message for his fans will surely motivate you for doing well in life, and always keeping ‘nation’ at the top.

“Dedicate yourself to the nation first. The hurdles are going to come in your way like a gift. You have to accept it, open it and go forward towards your goal. Your passion and dedication should be so high that all the challenges will be very small for you.”

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“And lastly, never give up and never complain. You have to perform in whichever way and whether the conditions are favorable or unfavorable you don’t have any excuse.” Patil concluded.

Some of Patil’s best achievements are:

  • World Masters Games (Senior Olympic) 2017 Auckland: 1 Silver Medal in Triple Jump on the second day after a major accident while long jump.
  • Australian Masters Games 2015 Adelaide: 2 Gold & 2 Silver Medals.
  • Asia Pacific Masters Games 2018: Penang Malaysia 1 Bronze medal in Triple Jump.
  • World Masters Games (Senior Olympic) 2013 Italy: 1 Silver Medal & 2 Bronze Medals.
  • 1st Veterans Athletics Championship 2010 Balewadi Pune: 3 Silver Medals.
  • Silver in 100m run, 60m run, 200m run, Triple Jump, and also a bronze in the long jump at Adelaide, Australia in 2019.

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