Youngest Marathon Runner
This is about a boy who is recognized as the world’s youngest marathon runner – Budhia Singh. Budhia, who became a superstar at the age of four, is now lost in the streets of Orissa. This is a journey which saw a child reach overnight celebrity status; it is an uplifting tale filled with hope and opportunity, and also of greed, corruption and broken dreams. A boy who should have been provided with better training from top coaches of the nation and molded into an international athlete, is now nowhere near competing even at the district level.
Budhia Singh was born in 2002 in a very poor family, so his mother sold him to a passing peddler for Rs. 800. He was taken in by India’s top judo coach, Biranchi Das, who spotted his talent as a runner and then began to train him. His stated goal was to train the boy as an Olympic marathon runner. Budhia came into the limelight when he ran a record-breaking 65 km from Puri to Bhubaneswar in just seven hours and two minutes. By the age of four, Budhia had run and completed 48 marathons.
The Government that never cared for Budhia when he was living in slums, suddenly started showing that they really cared for him. Government banned him from running marathons and he was sent to the sports hostel. That was the end for the young boy. After that day he was never again seen running races. Mentor Biranchi Das was shot dead in Bhubaneshwar. Budhia’s life changed forever from that day forward. When asked in an interview about his diet at the hostel, Budhia said that he is not getting the proper nutrition. when asked whether he wanted to continue his training at the sports hostel he straight away said “NO”.
He needs our support, he needs better training facilities, his economic condition needs to be improved and above all he should be provided with a coach and mentor like Late Biranchi Das. If India wants to win any Olympic medal in athletics, this is the precise time to prepare our athletes – with better training facilities and world class coaches.
Source: Sportskeeda
Budhia Singh was born in 2002 in a very poor family, so his mother sold him to a passing peddler for Rs. 800. He was taken in by India’s top judo coach, Biranchi Das, who spotted his talent as a runner and then began to train him. His stated goal was to train the boy as an Olympic marathon runner. Budhia came into the limelight when he ran a record-breaking 65 km from Puri to Bhubaneswar in just seven hours and two minutes. By the age of four, Budhia had run and completed 48 marathons.
The Government that never cared for Budhia when he was living in slums, suddenly started showing that they really cared for him. Government banned him from running marathons and he was sent to the sports hostel. That was the end for the young boy. After that day he was never again seen running races. Mentor Biranchi Das was shot dead in Bhubaneshwar. Budhia’s life changed forever from that day forward. When asked in an interview about his diet at the hostel, Budhia said that he is not getting the proper nutrition. when asked whether he wanted to continue his training at the sports hostel he straight away said “NO”.
He needs our support, he needs better training facilities, his economic condition needs to be improved and above all he should be provided with a coach and mentor like Late Biranchi Das. If India wants to win any Olympic medal in athletics, this is the precise time to prepare our athletes – with better training facilities and world class coaches.
Source: Sportskeeda
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