Mumbai entrepreneur discovers Ola driver Is a former Olympian: ‘2 golds, 11 silvers, 3 bronzes’

A routine cab ride in Mumbai turned into a moment of revelation for Aaryan Singh Kushwah, an entrepreneur, when he discovered his Ola driver, Parag Patil, was once an international athlete. Patil, a former Olympian, has represented India on the global stage, earning two golds, 11 silvers, and three bronze medals.

Kushwah took to LinkedIn to share the inspiring story, sparking a wave of reactions online. Accompanied by a photo of himself with Patil and the Ola cab in the background, Kushwah wrote, “My Ola driver is an Olympian. Meet Parag Patil, Senior Olympian: 2nd in Asia in the Triple Jump. 3rd in Asia in the Long Jump. Every time he represented India internationally, he returned with a medal—2 golds, 11 silvers, 3 bronze. Yet, he has no sponsors and barely enough funds to support his family, let alone pursue his athletic career. This post is a call to action for anyone who can help sponsor Parag to represent and win for India internationally.”

See the post here:

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The heart-warming post triggered a sea of reactions from social media users highlighting the surging financial crunch among Indian athletes. A user wrote, “This is a real problem. We have multiple talent management agencies for influences in India but none for sports men/women, it could potentially be a huge untapped market.” Another user commented, “Our sports legends deserve better than this. We need to step up as a nation.”

“This man deserves a lot. idk why many athletes end up like this,” a third user said. “Let’s crowdfund this. Parag deserves another chance to shine,” another user commented.