A couple of friends and I reached Chamonix, France, on July 11, oblivious of the fact that the city was hosting the IFSC Para-climbing World Championship.
It was quite late in the evening and only two restaurants were open. We entered one and found a table. While we were deciding on what to order, a group of men and women wearing Italian jerseys entered the place.
Among the tall Italians was one short, shy man wearing the Indian team jersey. As he passed, he waved to us and went and sat with the Italian group. A couple of minutes later he hesitatingly came up to us and asked us if we were from India, when we said yes and he told us that he was representing India and had just won a silver medal in the World Cup, beaming with humility and pride .
We congratulated him, exchanged pleasantries and went back to our respective tables. That’s when we realised that he was the only one on the table from India surrounded by the whole group of Italians
No one accompanying him, no team, no trainers, medics, no one to cheer for him and any good sportsman will tell you, without these winning is most impossible.
After we finished eating, we went up to him and asked him if we could take a photo with him, he agreed shyly and proceeded to show us his medal. While taking the medal out of the bag, we saw him beaming with pride and telling the Italians on the table that we were from ‘home’.
I went home and searched the Internet for news about his victory but there was none.
When the country was focussing on more ‘important’ sports, a small town at the base of the famous Mont Blanc called Chamonix in France, was hosting the Rock Climbing World Cup and a para-athlete named Manikandan Kumar represented India and won a silver medal.
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