KOCHI: The never-say-die spirit of 26-year-old Eldhose Paul, even in the face of hardship, paid dividends on Sunday when he leapt to a career-best distance of 17.03m to bag the triple jump gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Recalling the time Eldhose applied for the BSc Chemistry course at the Mar Athanasius College in Kothamangalam, P I Babu, the India athletics team manager and the former physical education head of the college, said: “He is from a financially-weak family. However, if one looks at his career graph as a triple jumper, it can be seen that he overcame hardship and made steady progress.”
Eldhose is the son of Kochuthottathil Paulose and Mariakutty. Babu said, “It is a huge achievement for India and a proud moment for Kerala. Eldhose’s win will be a motivation for upcoming jumpers in Kerala.”
Eldhose’s skill was honed by former national jumps coach T P Ouseph, under whose tutelage stars like Anju Bobby George shone bright. “Eldhose was a raw talent. When he joined the college under the sports quota, his maximum jump was around 13.40m -- a distance achieved by women jumpers.
So, when I met him, I told him that for him to be a jumper who wins medals, he has to undergo training for a period of four years.”
And Eldhose slowly began putting the coach’s advice into practice. “I am not ashamed to say that he grew up as a jumper under my tutelage. From 13.4m, he went on to jump 14m and then increased it to 15m. The progress happened yearly,” Ouseph said.
But the one thing that stood against Eldhose is his height. “In international competitions, height is an advantage. But there have been exceptions and Eldhose is one of them. He makes up for his deficiency in height by his explosive strength and speed. I have helped him polish these advantages,” said the 76-year-old Dronacharya awardee who wishes to see one of his proteges win Olympic gold.
Babu said the college management supported him fully. Harry Benny, the current physical education head of MA College, said Eldhose had jumped 16m when he joined the Indian Navy.
Kerala State Sports Council vice-president Mercy Kuttan, a former jumper herself, said, “This is a huge achievement. They gave a brilliant performance, with the exposure they received at the world championships standing them in good stead.”