"Poverty can make you do anything": Asiad bronze medallist Ram Baboo

HANGZHOU: "Tough times never last; tough people do" this famous quote by Robert H. Schuller was exemplified by Indian racewalker Ram Baboo as he persevered in the face of overwhelming hardship and walked his way to glory one day at a time, one step at a time.

The 35m mixed race walk bronze medallist, Ram Baboo opened up about his journey of making a comeback in the sport after working in the MGNREGA scheme with his father in the lockdown.

Indian athletes Majnu Rani and Baboo secured a bronze medal in the 35m mixed race walk at the ongoing 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Wednesday. Baboo has clearly reached the upper level of race-walking circles.

But, his road to glory was anything but a cakewalk. He had to work as an MGNREGA worker during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Talking to ANI, Baboo talked about this period of time in his life and said, "In 2012, I saw the news of the London Olympics on TV and I thought maybe I could do better in sports. Then I took running as a sport. I suffered a knee injury in 2018 so that's why I started to do race walking. Garibi kuch bhi karva sakti hai [Poverty can make you do anything]."

But COVID-19 had a devastating impact on everyone, including Ram Baboo's hopes and aspirations. At this time of need, he was compelled to put his family's needs ahead of his own.

Baboo was a prime example of hard work, as he prevailed in the 19th Asian Games to clinch a bronze medal.

"During the lockdown, I had to work with my father in MGNREGA. Your hard time motivates you to do better lot. No human being can teach you what time teaches you. A hard time was like an inspiration for me. I started my training back in 2020 July and travelled to Bhopal. At that time most of the stadiums were closed so I had to train on the road," Baboo said, "My childhood was filled with struggle... I come from a very backward area... It was my mother's dream that no matter how we are living today, our son should have a good life... It is a matter of pride for me, my family, and my village that I won a bronze medal in the Asian Games..." he added.

Clocking timings of 5:51:14 hours, the Indian duo secured a bronze and continued the country's fine run in athletics. The gold medal went to China (5:16:41 hours) and the silver medal was bagged by Japan (5:22:11 hours).