Sanket Sargar made India proud by winning the first medal for the country in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Saturday. He finished at the second position in the 55kg men's final on Saturday as he lifted a total weight of 248kg.
The journey to the medal was not easy and was full of struggles and inspiration.
Sanket's adolescent years were spent trying to strike a balance between waking up early to serve tea at his father's 'paan' shop and finding time for training and studying.
The 21-year-old weightlifter would wake up at 5:30 am each morning, beginning his day by serving tea to customers at his father's 'tapri' in Sangli, a small city in Maharashtra.
He would then head for training, study during the day, and return for a second shift at the shop where he would prepare 'paan' for the customers. He would hit the gym in the evening to enhance fitness and build power.
"Sanket has sacrificed his entire childhood. From waking up 5:30 am to making tea for customers to going to the gym later in the evening, he dreamt of only one thing," Sargar's childhood coach Mayur Sinhasane said.
"He had only one dream and that was to bring laurels to the country in weightlifting and give a good life to his family. Now his dream is coming true."
It was Sanket's father, Mahadev who had originally harboured the dream of becoming a weightlifter but financial struggles came in the way.
Mahadev though tried to live his dream through his son and gave his all.
"Sanket neither had a sponsor nor was financially well off before getting into TOPS. His father would take care of his sport by borrowing and we would take full care of his diet and exercise.
"Sometimes his father could return the money, sometimes not, but we never let it become a hindrance in Sanket's training," explained Sinhasane.
"My father Nana Sinhasane trained him from 2013-2015 and I trained him from 2017 to 2021 with a target of the CWG. I was sure he would win a medal. We only have talented children from poor homes and he was exceptionally talented among them too," he added.
(Inputs from PTI)
