COIMBATORE: Some victories begin long before the whistle blows. Before the cheers, the medals, the podium — there is a quiet resolve, the strength to rise through an unseen struggle, day after day. V Subramani, the 23-year-old son of a lorry driver from Coimbatore, knows this well.
Earlier this year, Subramani became the first-ever Kho Kho player from Tamil Nadu to represent the Indian men’s team — and helped script a historic win as they defeated Nepal 54–36 to clinch the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup in Delhi. But his proudest achievement isn’t the trophy; it’s the journey that brought him there — one shaped by grit, hunger, and sacrifice.
Subramani lives with his parents and elder brother in a modest house in SIHS Colony near Ondipudur. His father, S Vadivel, earns Rs 500 a day unloading parcels in his lorry across Tamil Nadu and nearby states. His mother, Gandhimathi, works as a daily wage labourer in a private firm. The family’s income was just enough to get by — but never enough to support a professional sports career.
“As an athlete, I needed protein-rich food — chicken, mutton, almonds, pistachios — but we couldn’t afford them,” he says. “During tournaments, we were often served oily food that made us feel heavy. I would just drink juice to stay light and gut-fit. I never felt bad. I understood my family’s situation.”
It was his grandmother, Sundari, who stood by him during low moments. “Whenever I felt like giving up, she pushed me forward,” he recalls. Despite growing financial pressure, his parents never asked him to quit. “They took loans to put my brother and me through school. They always believed in us,” he says.
Now pursuing an MA in English Literature at KG College of Arts and Science, Subramani says the turning point came when Chief Minister M K Stalin awarded him Rs 25 lakh for his World Cup achievement. “We’ve repaid our loans and started building a new house,” he says.
His love for Kho Kho began in Class 6 at TNGR Higher Secondary School in Varadharajapuram, where his elder brother Saravanan, also a Kho Kho player, introduced him to the game. “My parents didn’t approve of it initially. When I failed one subject, they scolded me and told me to quit. But I just couldn’t — I was too passionate,” he says.
Over the years, Subramani carved out a place for himself in the sport — representing Tamil Nadu in four senior nationals, four South Zone college tournaments, a senior South Zone men’s national, and a senior national game. He also played for Telugu Yoddhas in 2023 and Gujarat Giants in 2024.
At the World Cup, he stood out in the quarter-final clash against Sri Lanka, winning the Best Attacker award. “That was a special moment. I felt everything I’d gone through was worth it,” he says. Despite his achievements, the union government is yet to recognise his contribution by offering him a government job — a form of security many athletes in lesser-known sports hope for after their playing years.
His school PE teacher, Dr M Ashok Kumar — now an assistant professor at Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science — says this needs to change. “Kho Kho players deserve the same recognition and job security as athletes in other sports. If we want more Subramanis, the system has to support them,” he says. But Subramani isn’t one to dwell on uncertainty. “I want to keep playing as long as I can,” he says. “And I want to train the next generation of Tamil Nadu players, so that India keeps winning this title, year after year.”
The medals will tarnish, the limelight may fade. But somewhere in Coimbatore, one young man keeps chasing — not just for himself, but for every child who dreams of turning struggle into strength, and silence into a story worth telling.
(Edited by Mary Catherene)