New Delhi: A heartwarming story came into the limelight when a Mumbai Entrepreneur was traveling in a cab and discovered his cab driver was a former Olympian. Parag Patil shared his professional career’s story which Aryan Singh Kishwah shared on his LinkedIn and the post went viral in India.
Patil represented India on a grand stage and won two Gold and 11 silver medals in his career. After all the achievements, he didn’t get much recognition and faced difficulties in supporting his family financially.
“My Ola driver is an Olympian. Meet Parag Patil Senior Olympian: 2nd in Asia in the Triple Jump. 3rd in Asia in Long Jump. Each time he has represented India internationally, he has never returned without a medal. 2 golds, 11 silvers, 3 bronze.” Aaryan Kushwah wrote on his post.
“Yet he has no sponsors and just enough funds to feed his family, let alone pursue his athletic career. This post is a call to action for anyone that can help sponsor Paras to represent and win for India internationally,” he added.
Patil started his second innings as a cab driver to meet his daily needs and support his family. Patil started his professional career at the age of 30 but he was doing a full-time job also to support his family financially.
What’s the connection of Patil with Olympics?
After all the buzz, it is not clear whether Patil represented India in the Olympics or not. He made his first appearance in the International Veterans Athletics Championship in 2013.
He won three silver medals on his debut tour. After that, he won multiple medals in various events. Patil’s breakout season came at the Australian Masters Games in 2015, where he won two gold and two silver medals.
He never represented India in the Summer Olympics nor in the Winter Olympics. He competed in the Senior Olympics, where older athletes (in terms of age) competed in various events.
How is Senior Olympics different from Summer Olympics?
There is a major difference between a Senior Olympian and an Olympian. Mumbai government didn’t support Patil as Patil took a high-interest loan to compete in the Senior Olympics in Italy. He borrowed money on 17% interest per month and funded his event himself.
Mumbai’s entrepreneur encounter with Parag Patil has taken buzz on social media. Let’s take a look if Parag Patil is really an Olympian for India. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
