Chasing Dreams

Bhageshwari’s passion for the sport began when she won the school championship in the Std VII at Renuka Swarup Memorial School. Trained by coach Sanjay Patalkar,she sprinted at the National and Inter-State levels. She was selected to represent the nation at the Commonwealth Youth Games through two trials at a camp,after she won the silver medal at the Jamshedpur National Inter Zonal level. “My coach started training me for the CWG in 2006. During the last two months,all the Indian runners camped together at Balewadi. We learnt a lot from each other. There’s so much more behind that medal than just running faster than the rest in the last 100 meters,”she says.

Aspiring to win the gold medal for the senior level at the next Commonwealth Games as well as completing her engineering degree with flying colours,Bhageshwari says,“I wake up at 4 am and study for two hours after which I practice on the field till 8 am. I have just about half an hour to get ready and have breakfast before rushing for my lectures.” For lunch,her plate is full of green vegetables and sprouts. The afternoon hours,between 3.30 and 5 pm,are for her to unwind and relax. “Then,it’s back to the field to start sprinting and exercising till 8 pm,” she says.

“Perseverance drives every athlete. Whether it’s a job or a field of study or a sport,you will only succeed if you enjoy doing it. It is this passion that makes it possible for me to balance sprinting and engineering together,” says the athlete who is now preparing for her third year examinations at P B G College of Engineering. When she’s not studying or running,she plays basketball and throw ball. A healthy diet is what keeps her going,she says. “I also have protein powder to add to my strength.”