KOCHI: At 82, when his peers are leading a retired life playing with grandchildren or reading books at home, former MLA MJ Jacob refuses to be cowed down by age, and is vying with the best in the world. And winning too. He has won medals for India at the World Masters Athletics Championship (WMAC) 2022 that concluded in Finland on Sunday.
However, the two bronze medals in the 80-metre and 200-metre hurdles have failed to satiate his hunger for success. The former CPM MLA from Piravom is busy charting out fitness and practice programmes to improve his performance and win a gold at the Masters next year.
Speaking over the phone from Finland's Ratinan Stadium, Jacob told The New Indian Express that he was happy to win two medals for the nation. "I have served my country as a politician and now as a sportsman. I am thrilled and will participate in more events in the future," he said.
He participated in the 80-plus category in the two hurdles events at the WMAC. "Since my childhood, I have always been interested in sports. I started participating in international athletic events in 2006 and have won many medals," said Jacob.
Jacob attributes achievement to healthy lifestyle
Jacob, who represented Piravom in the state assembly from 2006 to 2011, said he was close to achieving a silver medal in both the categories at the WMAC. "I need a little more improvement in my practice to compete with the Europeans, who are difficult to defeat," said Jacob, who’s determined to win a gold for India next year.
Jacob, who also served as Thirumarady panchayat president and Ernakulam district panchayat member in 1981-82 and 1998-99 respectively, will return to India on July 13 from Finland after attending the closing ceremony. Jacob attributed his achievement to the healthy lifestyle he has followed diligently for several years.
"I wake up at 4 am and go for a walk and run. I do yoga often and do exercises to strengthen my body. When I stayed at the MLA hostel in Thiruvananthapuram, I used to practice at the university stadium every day. I eat what’s healthy and necessary for my body," he said.
"Even after being elected as panchayat president and later as an MLA, I participated in sports meets held at the state, national and international levels. It is difficult to get selection in individual categories for international meets. This is my first such event," he said.
In 2006 Kerala assembly elections, Jacob upset Kerala Congress veteran TM Jacob. However, he lost to the same opponent in 2011 by a slender margin of 157 votes.
After TM Jacob's death, the CPM leader contested against the KC leader's son Anoop Jacob and lost. After losing again in the 2016 polls, MJ Jacob focussed more on his fitness and started participating in athletics competitions even as he continued his political activities.