Once a vegetable seller & e-rickshaw driver, Jhandu now earns spot on CWG podium

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9 points after a best lift of 190kg, becoming India’s first medallist at this edition of the Commonwealth Games. Yet, for the national record holder, the medal meant a lot more than a place on the podium.“Sometimes it’s hard to believe how far I’ve come.

But I’m proud that I’ve done something for my country and for Bihar. I had the opportunity to represent India. That gives me immense happiness,” Jhandu told STOI from Glasgow on Saturday.

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Once the day’s work ended, he would head to Rockstar Gym, where he trained under Gautam Singh.“I first met him in 2019. There was a wedding in a village near mine, and that’s where we met.

The moment I saw him, I felt this boy had something special,” recalled Gautam. “Later at his request, in 2020, I opened my gym in Harnaut, and within two months he joined. Since then, we’ve been training together continuously.”

The gym soon became Jhandu’s second home, where he spent three to four hours every evening training.Then, when the family’s shop had to be temporarily shut down during the Covid-19, he took up driving an e-rickshaw to support his family.Although he believed it would make life easier, the long hours left him too exhausted to train properly.

Despite the challenges, he won his first national medal at National Para Powerlifting Championships in Kolkata in 2022.Convinced that powerlifting was his future, Jhandu eventually sold the e-rickshaw a year later to finance his participation in National Para Powerlifting Championships in New Delhi.Ironically, the gamble appeared to have failed when he was unable to register a successful lift at the competition.

But his determination caught the eye of chief national coach Rajinder Singh Rahelu, who invited him to train at Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar.The move transformed his career. Within three years, Jhandu had become one of India’s leading para powerlifters, winning medals at home and abroad, setting the national record in 72kg category with a 206kg lift and earning qualification for Commonwealth Games.

There was, however, a hint of disappointment late on Friday in Glasgow as he narrowly missed out on silver, or even gold. Yet standing on the CWG podium was a moment he had dreamt of for years.“This journey was never mine alone.

Everyone has played a role in helping me reach this level. Without their support, I don’t think I would have made it this far,” he said. “My journey isn’t over yet.

I still have the Asian Games and, hopefully, the Paralympics ahead of me.”Back home in Harnaut, celebrations broke out as family, friends and neighbours rejoiced at the success of the man who once sold vegetables and drove an e-rickshaw to keep his sporting dream alive.“It is a huge achievement.

People will see him today as a Commonwealth Games medallist, but very few know how difficult his journey has been,” said Jhandu’s elder brother, Kundan.By afternoo