One-armed Dalip Gavit wins hearts

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 11

It was just the heats and young Dalip Gavit had finished second in the boys’ under-20 category in the National Open 400m Championships. Yet the sparse crowd of mostly athletes and family members at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was taken aback by how an athlete with one arm amputated excelled against able-bodied athletes. A few of the other athletes came over and congratulated him.

The 18-year-old from Maharashtra finished second in 49.89 seconds to qualify for the semifinals, scheduled for tomorrow. “I don’t consider myself as disabled,” said Dalip, whose right arm had to be amputated because of an accident when he was three.

Dalip, who had a contraption under his right stump for stability at the starting block, has been training with his coach Vaijnath Dayanand Kale for the last five years.

Kale, in fact, has legally adopted Dalip. The teenager is still in touch with his biological parents, who have a small farm in Toradongri village in Nashik.

“Don’t think his father knows what he does with me,” Kale said. “I asked about adopting him and his only question to me was ‘sab kuch aap hi dekhoge? (Will you take care of all the expenses?)’. I said yes and he agreed,” he added.

‘Tomorrow is a new day’

Monday wasn’t his first race against the able-bodied. Dalip has won several medals, including silver and bronze as part of the Maharashtra team in 4×100 and 4×400 competitions. Dalip was in line to attend the trials for the Paralympics in the T-46 category, but failed to get the classification. “These races will make him mentally strong. He will eventually shift to the para-sport, but it is races like today that will make his career,” Kale said.

Dalip’s target is to clock 48 seconds “He will better today’s timing. You will run 48 tomorrow?” Kale asked Dalip.