BENGALURU: One of the sections of the 10km run in the city on Sunday was for Champions with Disability. This was the 10th edition of the TCS World 10K - 2017. The Champions with Disability run saw the most inspiring participants as many differently-abled people ran in front of the cheering crowds. One such participant was Vishwas K S, a 27-year-old para swimmer from the city who has won medals at the international level.
Vishwas’ story is as heart wrenching as it is inspiring. He lost both his arms at the age of 10 after getting electrocuted. Unfortunately, his father died in the accident while trying to save Vishwas. He then pursued his education, earned a BCom degree and learnt to do most everyday works with his legs. However, he couldn’t get a job for about a year.
“I was frustrated and depressed and so my friends started taking me to various classes to cheer me up - swimming, football, dancing and martial arts. That is when I began to enjoy swimming and took it up seriously seven years ago,” he said.
It took a long time for him to learn just the basics but Vishwas persevered. He made a living by dancing at events, the income from which helped fund his training in swimming. Four years after taking up the sport, he started participating in national-level competitions and won medals too. In July last year, he took part in his first international competition - the Canadian 2016 Speedo Can Am Para-swimming Championships, and bagged two silver and one bronze medal. His participation was funded by the NGO Astha.
He is now preparing for another international tournament set to happen in July in Germany. He is also keen to participate in the Commonwealth and Asian Games next.
As for the 10K run, Vishwas really wanted to do perform well this year. “When I ran last year, I wasn’t prepared and was unsatisfied with my performance. That’s why I decided to train well this time. I am happy with my performance today,” he said.
He finished the 10km run in just 65 minutes. He said he was happy with the atmosphere of the run and felt encouraged by the cheering bystanders.
However, Vishwas still depends on dancing at events to support himself financially. Vishwas says he is supposed to get `75,000 for each silver medal and `50,000 for the bronze medal from the state government. However, not a single penny has come his way so far.
Another champion in the making
Another inspiring participant at the run was eleven-year-old Syed Zeeshan Ahmed Qhureshi, who took part in his first ever run on Sunday. Zeeshan suffers from Spina Bifida, a birth defect which makes him unable to walk. He, however, completed 4.5km of the run on Sunday, and said that he enjoyed it to the hilt. “My favourite part was when the run ended. Everyone was clapping and cheering.” Zeeshan’s favourite sport also happens to be swimming, and he will start training soon.