It is a sultry evening at the Anna Stadium when young athletes in sweat stained tees stop to watch as a silver haired man with wrinkled eyes walks robustly across the race track towing what looks like a heavy metal ball at the end of a wire.
Pausing, he swirls the hammer throw over his head and hurls before it lands 15 metres away. The distance notched is not one for the records, but that V.Savariyar is 89, a fact belied by his gait, makes players on the field applaud with admiration or perhaps envy! Savariyar rejoins us in the gallery to continue our conversation with four of his teammates, all medallists at the 33rd edition of the National Masters athletics championships held at Bangalore in February. These men aged between 40 and 90 who stake claim to a haul of medals at the sporting event meant for veteran athletes, have recently rekindled their childhood sporting ambitions on the track .
“I always wanted to become a footballer, but had to give up my dream to look for employment though I participated in inter-district competitons,” says Arunachalam, an agriculture worker who won a gold in 4X400 m relay, silver in 4x 100 m silver and a bronze in long jump.
Schoolboy zeal
What is that makes men past their prime to return to the track with schoolboy zeal, run against the wind, and beat their own records despite the aches and pains that come with age? The answer is an eternal romance with sports.
“You will never guess our age if you watch us running on the track,” says Anbanandan, former principal of Periyar E.V.R. College and President, Masters Athletics Association, Tiruchi who won a gold in discus, silver in hammer throw and bronze in shot putt. “The only time I remember I am 65 is when those aches and pains come to haunt me after the race,” he says wryly. Yet that does not keep him from putting in two-four hours of training everyday. He has been a regular contender in the championships for over a decade just like his octogenarian father-in-law who bagged a gold in hammer throw in the 85 plus category and silver in discus and short putt, Anbanandan The duo have qualified for the Asia Masters Athletics Championships in Taipei, China.
“We constantly motivate ourselves to get better with each event,” says sub-inspector Dorairaj, who bagged a silver in 4x100m. The youngest in the squad, 40 year old Shanmugamsundaram who clinched a silver in 5 km walk, says watching senior citizens on the track has spurred him on.
While Anbanandan had captained basketball and volleyball teams in college, aced decathlon and hammer throw and Dorairaj bagged medals in 100 and 200 m dash, Savariyar has no sporting history to speak of. It was his son-in-law who identified his aptitude in shot putt, discus and hammer throw. “He got the hang of it easily and it took some time to fine tune the technique. A five km walk was not his cup of tea for he would start trotting and increase his pace mistaking a red flag for encouragement,” Anbanandan adds on a lighter note.
“I did take time to catch on,” agrees Savariyar. “Before the tournament I used to practice shots in the wetlands near my house in the village. What matters is I have no diabetes. I am healthy, I eat well and sleep well.”
P.Durairaj, Secretary, Masters Athletics Association ,a retired BHEL employee is the source of motivation for them. Though most of them have qualified directly for the Asian Championships, participation comes down to a question of resources. Flight tickets would be refunded only if they bag medals, he says. The support extended by government indigent athletes should be extended to cover all veteran athletes, hopes Durairaj.
Hoping their work would inspire a younger generation, Anbanandan concludes, “I would prefer dying on track than spending my last days in the ICU”. The flesh may be weak, but as long as the spirit is willing, these veterans are bound to keep sprinting.
