When disability gave this powerlifting champion a new lease of life

Ahmedabad: The life trajectory of Ashok Kumar Parmar, 35, quite resembles the aforementioned quote by American singer Jimmy Dean. He won a gold medal at the recently held National powerlifting championship (Surat) under the 56 kg category. Ashok took part in the open category which included the specially abled sportsmen and transgenders. However, his journey to the win hasn’t been a bed of roses. “When I was barely a year old, I was administered the wrong injection due to which I was infected with the poliovirus that paralyzed my left leg. However, I have always focused to look at the positive and never let my disability come in the way of my goals. I work doubly hard to achieve them,” asserts the champion.

At the age of two, his family shifted to Ahmedabad from his village Mandva (Gujarat) for better medical facilities and education. “I never liked people calling me disabled and was never allowed from doing things like everyone else. During my younger days whenever I visited my village, people discouraged me from riding a bicycle and insisted on riding the tricycle for the disabled. But I went against all and learned to ride a bicycle. From rocky roads to thorny bushes, I fell on all kinds of surfaces, got hurt, but never gave up on my goal. Soon I was riding a bicycle. Now, I commute from my home to workplace daily on a two-wheeler which takes a total of 2-3 hours,” shares Ashok. Often bullied in school, he would either walk away or fight it out. But gradually he realized that unless he doesn’t become physically and mentally strong his grief-stricken situation will always get the best of him. “When I was a child, other children would bully me. Their words and actions hurt me, but I couldn’t complaint. Sometimes I would ignore while other times I would fight back. Over the years, every time, I fought back, I felt the power and wanted to become more powerful. So, I joined a gym, in 2012 when I was 22, to get fitter,” avers Ashok. Hailing from a financially backward income group, he chose to begin his training at a government gym rather a fancy one. “The training I got there has helped me immensely, even till this date. The first three months I was only given body-weight exercises and later slowly began training with the equipment,” adds Ashok.

Around 2014, his peers at the gym encouraged him to participate in a body building competition in the 50 kg weight category, where he stood first. “In 2016-17, I started to learn about powerlifting and started participating in championships. Since then, I have won bronze, silver, and gold medals,” adds an elated Ashok.

But Ashok isn’t looking at slowing down after his recent win. He’s gearing up to win many more prestigious competitions. However, things still aren’t easy for him. “I live in a joint family and my family is my priority. So, investing money in training, supplements and other necessities is still not a feasible option. I have been training on my own for all the championships so far and often would turn to friends and their trainers who have been associated with powerlifting for years now. I don’t consume any supplements and my intake of extra proteins – chicken and eggs happen once in 2-3 weeks,” adds Parmar.

So, who has been his biggest cheerleader/s in this rollercoaster journey? “My parents haven’t been very supportive, as they feared that the training for a sport could cause further injury and irreparable damage. I still don’t inform my father when I’m travelling for any competitions, and I hide my medals from my family. My strong willpower, the hunger to learn new techniques and win more medals have been my biggest source of strength, and I’m my biggest cheerleader,” says Ashok.

Ashok is currently working in the logistics department with the Adani Group, Ahmedabad. “Often, for disabled people like me jumping from a mid-scale company to an MNC is not easy. But the team here have been nothing but warm, helpful, and have welcomed me with open arms. Working in such an environment has also helped me to give my full attention to my sports as my senior has been very supportive of my dreams and always pushes me to strive harder,” signs off Ashok.