If you think our Jawans only stand on the border and fight the enemies, think twice. Indian Army has been dominating in sports and other activities. However, we hardly notice other jobs done by them. When a cricketer hits a six or claims a wicket, we jump high in excitement and update status on social media for likes and make memes on them.
Well, there is a subtle difference between playing for the nation and dying to protect the nation. Cricketers do the former and soldiers do the latter. When soldiers give absolutely everything to protect us like a shield, they deserve our praise. Let’s pay due respect to the soldiers who live and die for the nation.
Apart from war and fight, our jawans represented India with tonnes of pride at the Olympics, with many of them winning countless medals for the nation in various sports like shooting, rowing, marathon, swimming and wrestling etc. They participate in commonwealth games and clinch medals. If anything happens to the nation, the soldiers are the ones who deal with it. They do almost everything to keep our heads high.
Let’s take a look at five people from the Indian army who reached the pinnacle of success in various fields:
Indian Army Officer creates world record, completes Ironman triathlon event without taking a break
Major General Vikram Dogra created a world record by becoming the first Indian Army Officer to successfully finish the ‘Ironman triathlon event’, one and only General across the Globe to have achieved the feat in a sensational fashion.
This event is considered the world’s toughest one-day sporting event and Major General reinstilled pride by pulling off a spectacular feat. The Ironman Triathlon event contains 3 consecutive events namely swimming (3.8 km), cycling (180 km) and marathon (42.2 km). Major General completed all the extremely toughest events in a day without a break.
“He is the only serving army officer from the Indian Army to have done a full Ironman and the only General across the globe to have done so,” Army spokesperson Col. Aman Anand said.
According to the event rules, the competitors have to finish the events in order within 17 hours in order to earn the title of ‘Ironman’. Ironman Austria was held in the breathtaking town of Klagenfurt and as many as 3000 athletes took part in the event. Major Army General showcased his sheer brilliance as he completed the Full Ironman at Klagenfurt in 14 hours and 21 minutes.
Meet Sriram Balaji- first man from the Indian Army to qualify for Wimbledon
Indian army men hit the headlines for all the right reasons. It was N Sriram Balaji’s turn to make India proud in the world stage. He scripted history as he became the first player in Indian Army history to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw.
Following his historic achievement, the Indian Army took to their Twitter platform to appreciate Sriram Balaji. It was well and truly a perfect sight to watch an Indian army man play the fearless brand of Tennis as he had partnered with friend Vishnu Vardhan for their debut Grand Slam appearance.
Hailing from Coimbatore, Sriram Balaji, when was 10 years old, he showcased his mettle in the sport he truly loved the most. He grew from strength to strength and established himself as the top-quality player. He had ranked first in India in the Under-12 tennis category at his age.
After 16 long years, the 26-year-old Sriram made the international headlines as he became the first man from the Indian Army to qualify for the Wimbledon.
A cadet at Bengaluru’s historic Madras Engineering Regiment, Sriram has bagged five ATP Challenger Cups, since 2017, the year he joined Madras Sappers. He is appointed as a Junior Commissioned Officer and he had qualified for the iconic tournament in the men’s doubles category after he and his friend, Vishnu Vardhan got the better of Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of qualifiers to create a record.
Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan were the only Indian pair to have turned up in 2018 edition, and this was the maiden Grand Slam appearance for both professionals, as per The News Minute. In May 2019, the duo won doubles title in the ATP Challenger tourney held at Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
Sriram also bagged a Davis Cup match in the doubles category against Uzbekistan in 2017. His global rank is 117. In an interview with The Scroll after coming through flying colours in the ATP Challenger circuit, Sriram said, “It’s definitely another step forward in our career. We believe we can go deeper in the tournament. We are playing good and we are confident. But we would like to take it a step a time.”
Meet Thonakal Gopi- Indian Army Soldier who won Marathon Gold for India at the South Asian Games
Meet Thonakal Gopi, the Indian army soldier who scripted history by winning a Marathon gold medal for India at the South Asian Games.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate him for a spectacular tale of determination and commitment. Thonakal Gopi is fit as a fiddle and it was so easy for him to run the 10,000m marathon. He did the entire nation proud on the big stage.
Hailing from Wayanad district of Kerala, he is the only child born into a family of farmers. He grew up helping his mother and father grow rice and ginger. He later dropped out of his college only to join the Indian Army when he was 21 years old. He is now the only earning member of his family. He sends most of his savings home to support them.
Gopi’s journey of marathon running actually started five years ago. In 2014, he won gold at the National Open Athletics Championships and became a star sensation. But it was just a beginning.
The South Asian Games saw him win one more gold medal and success followed him around like a shadow. He had finished first among the Indians at the 2016 Olympics and 2017 World Championships. In the same year, he won silver medal in Asian Championships.
Indian Army’s Havildar Anuj Kumar wins Body Building Championships Gold, fans give him a hero’s welcome
Bodybuilders look different from the others. It’s because of the fact that they do special exercises regularly and push themselves beyond their limits to strengthen their muscles. Day by day, they grow bigger and better.
They always feel a great sense of accomplishment after hitting the gym with proper workout sessions. Above all, they follow a strict diet to keep themselves as fit as a fiddle. They consume large amounts of protein so that they can achieve the shape of a clear-cut body.
Though most of us dream to be bodybuilders, only very few of us get to taste the essence of it.
Anuj Kumar Taliyan is the latest to hit the headlines for his outstanding achievement in Bodybuilding Championships. He is a Havildar in the Indian Army and the fans gave him a hero’s welcome after he won a gold medal at World Bodybuilding Championships. Let’s take a moment to appreciate our hero on his success.
Anuj was received at the Madras Engineers Group by senior officers. Kumar clinched a gold medal in the 100 plus kg weight category. It is also worth applauding that our bodybuilders had also finished second in the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship ‘Team Category’.
It is also worth mentioning that Chitharesh Natesan was the first Indian to win become Mr. Universe 2019.
Indian Army Major wins Silver Medal in Asian Body Building & Physique C’ship
In whats comes as a proud moment for the entire nation, Indian Army Major Abdul Quadir Khan of the Corps of Signals clinched Silver Medal at the prestigious 53rd Asian Body Building and Physique Sports Championship which was held at Batam, Indonesia.
Commissioned in June 2014, Army Major was very much interested in bodybuilding and he even took to Body Building with one step in intensity despite a hectic regimental schedule.
He showcased his mettle in that stream and his life took a dramatic turn. It was at 1 Signals Training Centre at Jabalpur where he got benefited from the excellent training infrastructure and reputed coaches.
After gaining the much-needed skills, he took part in the Indian Body Building Federation (IBBF) selection trials scheduled at Khammam, Telangana in July 2019 and finally got selected to represent India in the Body Building Championship.
His achievement in the sport is sensational and has also brought laurel to the Indian Army and Corps of Signals. What really makes his achievement really worth applauding is that it was his maiden event on the international stage and he couldn’t have asked for a better start in winning Silver for India.