Here Is Narayan Thakur's Inspirational Journey From A Waiter To India's 1st Gold Medallist At Para Asian Games

Little did the world know that a man, who grew up idolising International athletes like Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin would go on to make history himself. 27-year-old Narayan Thakur is the first para athlete in the history of India to clinch a gold medal at 2018 Asian Para Games, held in Indonesia in October last year.

Narayan who suffers from left-sided hemiparesis by birth won a medal in 100 metre race in the T-35 category (a disability sport classification for people with 70-80% of coordination impairments).

He completed the race with a record timing of 13.50 seconds and currently holds the first position in para athletics in Asia. In a conversation with Indiatimes, Thakur shares his tough journey which has been full of rich experiences.

Photo: Indiatimes/Narayan Thakur

From Being A Hotel Waiter To A Gold Medallist

Belonging to a poor family in Bihar, his family ran errands to earn a living. His father suffered with poor visibility due to slogging hours in factories. He ultimately died leaving an eight-year-old Narayan with no other option but to join an orphanage.

Narayan was ridiculed for being specially-abled. He was called names and made fun of. During morning assembly, regular children at his school would be felicitated with medals and certificates. Looking at them, he dreamt of achieving a medal for the nation. However, his paralysis created boundaries for him.

Determined to make a bright future, he decided to take part in the physically disabled Indian cricket team. This called for money and investment. He would work at his family¡¯s paan stall. Waking up at five in the morning he would run the shop until 10 in the night. Later, he worked as a cleaner in DTC buses. The next two years also required him to work at a petrol pump and as a hotel waiter.

Earning Rs 200 a day, an exhausted Narayan would return home at about four in the morning.

Photo: Kriti Gupta for Indiatimes

However, everywhere his hemiparesis would obstruct his growth. He wasn¡¯t taken into the cricket team and only for good. A successful career as a runner awaited him.

Upon a friend¡¯s guidance he went to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and carved his motto in stone: ¡®To clinch a gold for India¡¯. Even if this meant changing three buses, one way and spending four hours in daily commute, Narayan had a clear mission in his mind.

In 2015 therefore, he started his run up to 2018 Asian para games. Narayan¡¯s coach, Amit Khanna who was himself the fastest Indian Athlete in 100m from 1995 to 1998 was impressed with his endurance.

He told the writer, ¡°I was training a lot of kids here and I saw him around 2015, when he was practicing all by himself in Thyagraj stadium. I saw a few issues with his running technique. So, I went to him and asked him what are you preparing for and he said, ¡°I want to win a medal for the country. It took me as (by) surprise, medal for the olympics and he had paralysis of T-35 category. He later told me his story- paan masaale ki raidi and everything, I was so touched.¡±

Photo: Kriti Gupta for Indiatimes/The one room apartment where Narayan lives with his family

Achievements

Narayan then went the extra mile and in 2015 won the gold medal in all three categories of 100m, 200m and shotput in the state level competition. He also won a bronze medal in the National Championship, the same year.

At 2016 National games he won a gold medal in the T-37 categories of 100m, 200m and shotput. Finally, he decided to qualify for the World Championship in 2017. He had to leave for China for selection trials. Unfortunately, a day before he was to leave for the trials, the Indian government informed him that he had to bear all the costs by himself!

Photo: Indiatimes/Thakur being felicitated for his performance by PM Modi

Approximately, Rs 1.5 lakh were needed. Within less than 12 hours, Narayan hurried, took financial help from his friends and his coach and left for China. However, due to some category issue he had to return to India without a medal.

Fast forward to 2018, Narayan got selected for the Para Asian Games 2018 where he made history by winning a gold in the 100m race.

Clearing Of Doping Allegations

Prior to the Asiad games, Narayan had gone to Gandhinagar, Gujarat where the Indian camp had been setup. Due to weather change and strong room temperature, he caught cold and cough. He decided to consult one of the doctors at the camp only for a medicine.

Narayan expressed his concern that given he had to participate in Asian games, he needed a medicine that doesn¡¯t have a banned ingredient as per NADA and WADA prohibited lists. The doctor assured him that all the medicines that arrive at the camp were dope-free.

(NADA- National Anti-Doping Agency and WADA- World Anti-Doping Agency)

After consuming the cough syrup, NADA members arrived the next day for urine samples of all the players. The tests happened, Narayan won a gold and returned to India. Banners were put up all around his locality, he received a prize money of Rs 30 lakh. PM Modi showered praises on him. He was also due to get Rs 1 crore from the government.

Photo: Indiatimes

However, a day after his win he received an email from NADA which said that his samples tested positive for a doping substance- Terbutaline which is usually present in cough syrups. As soon as the word spread, all the banners were pulled down and his prize money of Rs one crore was put on hold.

He was shocked to hear this because he had been convinced by the doctor that the medicine didn¡¯t contain any banned substance at all. Now, Narayan risked losing his title, his medal and being banned from all sports events for almost three years.

He booked an early morning flight and rushed to the doctor in Gandhinagar for a written proof. He came back to the capital and submitted all documents that proved he was innocent. Following a strict scrutiny and consequent hearing Narayan was finally cleared of all charges.

Photo: Kriti Gupta/A snapshot of the letter received from NADA that states Narayan Thakur has been acquitted of all charges (Accessed with player's permission)

Speaking on how did Narayan end up getting embroiled in this controversy, his coach Amit said, ¡°He was lucky to be out of this, otherwise his medal would have been taken, everything would have been gone. You need to practise smartly. Huge amount of money is involved in this so any of the competitors can feel why is he being given so much of money, let me try doing that, so you have to be really smart.

¡°Narayan has suffered and he has learnt his lesson, and I want to just tell it to everyone that don't trust anybody- any doctor, any friend, anybody who is referring you. NADA and WADA have given you a prescribed list of medicines and the prohibited drugs. Everyone has a smartphone, just google it whether it has got that banned substance or not. I would advise to go for a double check on this.¡±

Photo: Indiatimes

Challenges

Narayan admits, when it comes to athletics they need more sponsors to support players who can¡¯t make it beyond National Championships.

¡°I know when I was making him do the workout, he is a little afraid of longer distances and for him a genuine reason is that he is weaker from the left-hand side. He doesn't have strength on his left hand side. For specially-abled persons we need special gyms, over here I can't make him workout in normal gyms. So I think he is trying to find out one gymnasium where he can workout and where he can do the exercises.¡± his coach said.

Khanna further added, ¡°At the moment what we are doing is, look at Narayan Thakur he was nowhere around until he won the medal; now he has become a champion so money is flowing in. We are accepting ready made champions but we need to make champions.

Photo: Indiatimes

The government needs to make champions, catch them young, catch them raw and then make champions out of them.¡±"

India has never won a gold medal in sprinting, in athletics in Olympics, not even in the normal category. Narayan is now setting his eyes on Olympics 2020 to be held in Tokyo where he will have a chance to make history once again, by being the first para athlete to win a gold medal in sprinting.