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77-years-young Sikh is Racing
Wizard of Oz
 MELBOURNE: At
77, Harbhajan Singh Aulakh not only defied age but also braved an
injury to win four gold, four silver and two bronze medals at the
Sydney World Masters Games, which concluded last Sunday.
And this was no
mean achievement, considering that over 28,000 athletes from 95
countries participated in the event.
The competition
in the 28 sporting categories was fierce as some of the athletes
were former Olympians. But this did not daunt Aulakh, who won a
medal in every event he contested.
Earlier, the
feisty athlete had won six gold medals at the 12th Australian
Masters Games held in Geelong, Victoria, from February 20 to March
1. He had won a gold in every event he contested.
Aulakh was to
participate in 13 events at the Sydney World Masters Games, but a
muscle pull forced him to withdraw after six finals. "I would have
won many more gold medals had it not been for the injury. I had
really worked hard for it," he said. Asked why he opted for so many
events, Aulakh said, "I knew exactly who my competitors were and was
sure I could beat them."
Aulakh had
entered his name for 100m race, 200m race, 400m race, 800m race,
1,500m race, 5,000m race, 5,000m walk, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles,
steeple chase, long jump, triple jump and high jump. He followed a
gruelling fitness and training regime in the run up to the
tournament.
"When I went for
training, I didn't count the laps I ran. I simply set a target that
I would run for one hour today and gradually improve upon it," said
Aulakh, a simple man both on and off the field who describes himself
as an "illiterate village bumpkin".
At the Sydney
Masters, he withdrew from the 5,000m race and 5,000m walk so as to
conserve his energy for other events.
 Unfortunately,
he had a severe muscle pull on the last day of the competition while
taking part in the 200m final. But he kept on going despite the pain
and went on to win a silver, bringing his medal tally to nine.
Aulakh decided
to withdraw from the remaining three events when the pain in his
left leg became unbearable. However, the champion in him refused to
be bogged down. With a superhuman burst of inspiration, he decided
to give the long jump event a final shot after undergoing first-aid
and ended up winning a bronze.
Born in Aulakh
Berian village of Gurdaspur, district, Aulakh is an avid sportsman
since his early days. An accomplished hockey player in his heydays,
he started participating in veteran events since 1981 and has never
looked back since.
Apart from his
medal haul at the World Masters in
Sydney,
Aulakh has won 68 medals, of which 43 are gold, in various
international events, including Asian Games.
What sets him
apart from other sportsmen is the fact that he has participated in
all national and international events entirely at his own expense
without any sponsorship or financial aid.
"I love sports
and I don't want to depend on anyone's charity," he said.
Though Aulakh
never underwent any professional training, he is a keen learner. He
watches other competitors, especially youngsters, and tries to
emulate them. Young at heart and youthful in his outlook, Aulakh
still regards himself as a student. "I may be 77 years old, but my
mind tells me I'm still very young. I prefer staying with younger
athletes than older coaches," he said.
Aulakh is
planning to coach youngsters next. "I sometimes worry about who will
be my heir in the world of athletics after I am no more. That's why
I want to train youngsters. Hopefully, at least one of them will
keep my name alive," he said.
But if his rich
haul of medals at the Sydney Masters is anything to go by, the
"Flying Sikh from Oz" may soon become as well-known as the legendary
Fauja Singh and may not need anyone to keep his memory alive.
21
October 2009
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