He’s brought home two golds and five silvers, but Major (Dr.) Surendra Poonia cannot help regret the 0.13 second delay that cost him a gold at the recent World Medical and Health Games.
Maj. Poonia, who is currently with the President’s Body Guards (PBG), has come back from Antalya, Turkey — where the championship was held between July 7 and 15 — with a total of seven medals, including two golds for power lifting and 500 metres race, and five silvers for track events of 400 metres, 1500 metres, and 5000 metres, cross country race and a pentathlon.
“This was my third time at the international event and I am extremely proud of being able to represent India,” Maj. Poonia told The Hindu on Saturday.
Preparation for the event included five hours of rigorous training for seven months and stamina-building exercises. “The only time I took a break was in May, when my grandmother, who was 107 years old, passed away. Otherwise, it was all training and more training,” he said.
He credits President Pratibha Patil, her Military Secretary Major General A.K. Bakshi and his unit, the PBG, for offering unstinting support and encouragement. “After the Games in 2010, when I came home with a few medals, the President asked me why I didn’t bag more. I just mentioned that the gym in Rashtrapati Bhavan lacked some training equipment, and she immediately passed orders to sanction what was needed. Maj. Gen. Bakshi ensured that I had a coach to train me, and was always encouraging. My coach worked very hard with me. When the heat made it difficult to run and practise, he made me run in water (in a swimming pool) to build stamina. Everyone just rallied around me,” he said.
Last year Maj. Poonia participated in the world championship in Las Palmas, Spain and won two golds, two silvers and one bronze medal.
“This year I defended my gold medal for power lifting and now have clinched the top medal in the category for three years in a row, which makes me eligible for the most coveted sports award of country — the Arjuna Award. This year, apart from the seven medals, I finished fourth in the javelin throw. This is the first time an Indian has won medals in athletic events at the Games. In fact, I was advised to stick to power lifting, but I wanted to compete against the others and put up a fight,” he said.
In power lifting, Maj. Poonia lifted 748 pounds in the below-65 kg category and secured gold for the third year in a row.
“My only regret is that I missed the gold in the 1,500 metre race by just 0.13 seconds and in the cross country race (12.5 km) by just 1 second to Algerian athlete Tucheret Ali,” said Maj. Poonia who has been awarded the ‘Vishisht Seva Medal’ for his outstanding performance in sports for 2011.
An alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Maj. Poonia is a qualified paratrooper. “I spent seven years in Kashmir with Special Forces and that period has made me believe that nothing is insurmountable. The time spent in Kashmir in very strenuous conditions, has made me tough and resilient. I have also been part of the UN peace keeping force and served abroad, and ever since I have been with the PBG, I have been able to hone my sporting skills,” said Maj. Poonia, who spends his day off looking after his five dogs.
On what inspires him to perform and excel, he said: “When you don the Indian colours and represent the country at an international event, you want to give your best, because if you are left behind and not there on the top, there is a tremendous sense of shame. I don’t want that feeling.”
