Bored of swimming, paralympic swimmer Prasanta Karmakar takes to cycling.
Swimming’s loss could be cycling’s gain!
After creating ripples in the pool, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist para-swimmer Prasanta Karmakar is set to blaze a trail in the Asian Cycling Championship to be held in the Capital from March 5 to 17.
No doubt, the switch from swimming to cycling is a challenging proposition, but then this celebrity para-swimmer thrives on such challenges.
Having lost his right hand in a road accident when he was only seven, the doughty fighter refused to let his disability come in the way of his dreams and aspirations.
A testimony to his never-say-die spirit are the numerous medals he has won for the country including a silver and bronze in the para-Asian Games in Guangzhou (China) in 2010.
Karmakar now aims to do the country proud in a discipline for which he “trained seriously for just three months”, to be considered eligible enough to participate in the prestigious cycling championship, which will see participation of close to 800 cyclists from 29 countries including 49 Indians and half-a-dozen Olympic medallists.
The differently-abled riders will be seen in action at a Para-Cycling event for the first time. Cyclists from four countries, including India, will participate in the event and Karmakar is one of them.
Bored by his routine laps in the pool, the 32-year-old Haryanvi, on his own confession had tried to keep himself afloat and “motivated in the last six months”.
“I wanted to leave the indoors for the outdoors and start enjoying my training once again,” the 2010 Arjuna awardee said.
“Being a good swimmer has helped me adapt to this new sport easily. Till the time my body is ready to take the load, I want to be associated with sports. Sports is my life and has given me a reason to live even after my accident in which I lost my hand,” Karmakar said.
“I can make a difference in cycling too. I also took up swimming by chance only. I had absolutely no idea that I would go that long in swimming. Now, I’m optimistic that I’ve many more years to give to cycling because this is one sport where you don’t get bored and keep watching different things outdoor,” he said.
Karmakar has been practising at the Capital’s Indira Gandhi Velodrome for the last three months and is hopeful about his chances in the upcoming meet.
@shekharluthra
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