India’s first visually impaired Ironman Niket Dalal dies in mishap, close friend recalls the race that made history

They had met through the organisation Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF), set up by Divyanshu Ganatra (who had lost his eyesight to glaucoma) but was keen on conducting outdoor sports activities and building an inclusive world for persons with and without disability.

“I remember meeting Niket through the ABBF and then training together in 2019. He had 100 per cent visual impairment and lost his eyesight. So when we trained together I had to learn and unlearn several things – I was used to running, cycling and swimming in a certain way. Then I had to match the rhythm and adapt with Niket’s movement,” Shaikh said.

In a tragic and unfortunate incident, Niket was found dead on Tuesday morning due to a fall from the second floor of a hotel in the Samarth Nagar area of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Son of former Deputy Mayor Lata Dala, as per media reports, a fire had broken out at Niket and his parents’ home on the night of June 30. Niket had shifted to a hotel to stay in the wee hours of the morning. On July 1, Niket was found dead in the hotel’s parking area as per reports.

“He was the world’s fifth differently-abled Ironman,” Shaikh said and said history was made when he finished the Ironman Triathlon (70.3) in February 2020 . “He was the first blind athlete to complete an Ironman and I am proud that we were in it together,” Shaikh said. The 70.3 Ironman Triathlon included a 1.9km swim, 90 km bicycle ride and 21.1 km run. “We finished it in 7 hours 44 minutes,” Shaikh said.

Niket, who had lost his eyesight due to glaucoma in 2015, was a speech therapist and Shaikh remembered his avid interest in trading on the stock market. “Niket was constantly reading despite his disability and had a phone with fantastic accessibility features. I remember he would often give me tips during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Shaikh recalled.
Niket participated in the Sahyadri classic race along with Shaikh in Mahabaleshwar in 2021. “Niket’s family was also very supportive and both wife and son would go cycling and hiking together with him,” Shaikh recalled.