Raj Bhavsar’s carefully planned travel itinerary to Beijing went haywire on a routine Monday afternoon in just one fleeting moment. But amid the confusion of rescheduled flights and changed departure dates, there was one standout certainty — the 27-year-old would savour these few frenzied moments with a delight that may just see the two previous Olympic-sized heartbreaks melt away.The gymnast of Indian origin — whose parents Jyotindra and Surekha migrated to America from Gujarat in the 1960s — was bracing himself for yet another trip to sport’s biggest stage as just a viewer from the stands as an ‘alternative’ but, as fate would have it, he now happens to be a full member of the US team after the withdrawal of their star Paul Hamm. Hamm, world champion and defending all-round gold medallist, couldn’t recover from an injured hand in time for the competition, and so pulled out of Team USA, clearing the way for Bhavsar. The injury to Hamm is merely physical, but the memory of a similar time during the trials for the Athens Olympics inflicted scars on Bhavsar’s mind that threatened with a terrifying permanence. After the tears had dried up, though, he gave it another shot this time around. A more mature head on his shoulders did nothing to change the outcome in the 2008 trials as he again missed out by a whisker. Drama, perhaps, was the route this journey just had to take.“You never truly know when your dreams are going to come true. One thing all this has taught me is to never give up,” said Raj, the smile evident even in his tone as he spoke to The Indian Express from Houston. “It has come at the cost of a great athlete in Paul, and I am experiencing a mixed bag of emotions right now. But I feel the wait has been worth it, and I couldn’t have done it without the support of those who stood by me in difficult times. There is no time to celebrate now, I have to begin packing. But we will do all that once I return.”Buzzing phonesThe pressure of replacing someone of Hamm’s stature would be there, certainly, but as Raj points out, he has been doing this a long time. He took his time to wallow in the moment after breaking the news to his mother, continuing his session in the gym as usual, before the tons of congratulatory calls began clogging his cell phone. Mother Surekha, too, had to divert her attention to getting the broken air conditioner at home fixed to answering one call after another from friends and family. She had to inform her husband, too, who was in England on a business trip. “I can’t believe it! Raj deserves to be on the team and he finally made it. It hasn’t been easy for him, he has gone through so much. I’ve been praying for him. For a year and a half after Athens, he wasn’t happy at all. But his love for gymnastics was always there, and all he needed to do was ignite a spark to get back in the game. I hope he does a good job in Beijing,” she said, relief and joy palpable in her voice.While Raj leaves for San Jose on Tuesday, where the team assembles to receive instructions and apparel before leaving for Beijing on July 30, there’s another travel plan that needs to be chalked out. “Initially, Raj’s brother and his wife were supposed to go for the Olympics. But after he didn’t qualify, that got cancelled. Now my husband and I will be going. We’re are leaving for Beijing on August 7,” Surekha says.“I still have to arrange accommodation for us, but all I am thinking of right now is watching my son compete at the place of his dreams,” she signs off, as the loud rings of the cell phone demand her attention once more.
