From Contracting Polio To Winning Paralympic And World Medals - Varun Singh Bhati Has Conquered Life

Sports has always been about the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. When people overcome the odds to do the impossible, they find themselves part of history. Sports has seen many face off against adversity and those select few have held their ground or made it through. In some cases, the sportsperson's battle outside the arena may be even more of an issue than what he is facing inside. One such example is Varun Singh Bhati.

Varun is para high jumper who has done India proud on the big stage. But as the word para suggests, his biggest challenges were not on the track but off it. He contracted polio as a child and despite it affecting his mobility, he opted for sports in school as he was not choosing to be limited by his handicap. This gutsy attitude would help him later in life.

BCCL

His love for sports continued into college and as a teenager his training began to take a more serious shape. The coming years would bring in the rewards of all the sacrifice.

He qualified for the 2012 Paralympics but due to the lack of slots, could not go to represent India on the international stage. In the 2014 Asian Para Games, he finished 5th but it was only a sign of things to come. A gold followed the same year at the China Open Athletics Championship. If we thought he was done, well, we had another thing coming.

BCCL

The 2016 Paralympics was his moment of glory with a bronze medal to his name. In the same year he set an Asian record at the IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championship to win gold. Later in 2018, a silver came into his grasp at the Asian Para Games.

In 2017, the Times of India Sports Awards voted him as the Para-athlete of the Year. In 2018 he was awarded the Arjuna Award.

BCCI

Varun is just 24 and already has done us proud. But he is showing no signs of stopping. The man is fighting is battle against polio in life and also facing off against his competitors on the track. He has conquered his fears to get this far. He has taken life head on to stand firm in the face of adversity. Varun is that inspiration we need in an age when many people take things for granted.

The man is not just a champion as an athlete, he is a champion as a human being as well.