From construction site to Olympic qualifiers, labourer gets Rs 40k training boost

DEHRADUN:v A construction labourer in Delhi who spends much of his monthly wage on diet, shoes and training while chasing a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has secured two real estate companies as sponsors, adding around Rs 40,000 a month to his training budget. TOI had first highlighted 32-year-old Bihar native Rohit Kumar’s story in Sept last year after Central Command of Indian Army spotted his talent following his podium finish in the high-altitude Spiti marathon organised by it.Kumar, who is training for the Olympic-distance triathlon, has secured podium finishes in more than 15 marathons across the country, including Lucknow, Dehradun and Prayagraj. Most recently, he finished third in the 30-39 age category at Times Internet Delhi Half Marathon in March. Speaking to TOI on Monday from a construction site in Delhi, where he continues to work as a labourer, Kumar said the sponsorship came after his story was highlighted by TOI.“The sponsorship has added around Rs 40,000 a month to my training budget. Earlier, from a monthly income of around Rs 30,000-35,000, I used to spend Rs 20,000 on my diet and training. Now I can spend more on training with better equipment. My sponsors have said that they will review my performance after a year and accordingly increase the amount,” Kumar said.He said the increased budget had improved both his training and diet, helping his body recover better. “Now my body recovers faster after a tiring training bout. I am also able to buy better marathon shoes that I couldn’t afford earlier. As a result, my triathlon timing has improved by 3.5 minutes over the past few months. Earlier, my timing was 2hr 1min, which has now come down to 1hr 58min — just three minutes more than the qualification standard of 1hr 55min for Olympic-distance triathlon. I am confident of touching it by the February national qualifiers to represent the country in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028,” he said.Interestingly, Kumar had earlier pursued medical studies in Russia before returning to India in 2017 because of financial constraints. He said his co-workers, who once knew him only as a labourer at the site, now speak about his training with confidence after seeing his discipline. “They now show confidence in me, saying that I would do something big with my hard work and determination. As far as my family is concerned, I am not in touch with them. I have vowed to meet them only after qualifying for the Olympics, with a hope to make my country proud with my performance.”