Dattu Bhokanal
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| + | [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/rio-2016-olympics/india-in-olympics-2016/rowing/dattu-bhokanal-from-digging-wells-to-earning-an-olympic-ticket/articleshow/53445439.cms Tushar Dutt & Abhilash Botekar, July 29, 2016: ''The Times of India''] | ||
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| + | PUNE/NASHIK: At 5 every morning, Dattu Bhokanal sets out for the Miami Beach Rowing Club. His next four hours are a tale of sweat, grit and uninterrupted training in the American beach city. An encore follows every evening. | ||
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| + | Dattu is the only Indian to qualify in the singles sculls event for the Rio Olympics. Growing up as a youngster in rural western Maharashtra, he had a slightly different schedule. He tilled farmland, grazed cattle and dug wells - not an easy job in the parched Chandwad taluka in the remote village of Talegaon Rohi.He also took care of his ailing father. | ||
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| + | "My struggles were born even before me. First it was only financial, but later it were emotional and physical too," remembers the rower.Dattu was just 19 when his father succumbed to bone cancer in 2011. "I didn't get any support from my relatives. I realized that it is my own battle and I will fight it out alone. And I decided to appear for the army entrance test," he says. | ||
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| + | Dattu didn't know much about the recruitment process, but he knew one thing well: himself. "I knew that I won't score high in the written exam, so I must perform extraordinarily well in the physical test. And as I had thought, my deficit in the written test was compensated by my physical exam scores. I made it to the Indian Army," says Dattu, now a strapping six feet, four inches tall havildar. | ||
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| + | After joining the Bombay Engineering Group and Centre (BEG) in Pune, Dattu was keen on taking up a sport. Rowing attracted him, but he had some inhibitions. "I used to get scared of everything when my father was alive. After his death, I wanted to shed my fears away. I made sure to do the things first that scared me," he says.In spite of not knowing how to swim, Dattu took up rowing to get rid of his fears. The army job joining had taken care of his financial needs but he wanted to do something that will make him proud.The moment came when he booked a berth for the Rio Games. "Qualifying for the Olympics was the happiest moment for me in years. But I couldn't share it with my parents," he rues. | ||
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| + | His mother fell down while riding pillion with his brother days before Dattu was to leave for Korea to participate in the Asian qualifiers. "She now fails to recognise anybody and is under treatment," says his grandfather Rambhau. His two younger brothers, Gokul and Yuvraj, take care of the household duties, their mother and grandparents. | ||
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| + | But Dattu refuses to be cowed down by life's unkind cuts. "I become strong in difficult times. I don't know what it is termed in psychology, but I remain calm in adversities. I dread the time when there are too many good things happening around me. It gives me a sense of fear," he says. | ||
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The Army rower had to endure a tough phase since making his Olympic debut in Brazil in 2016. His mother’s death and the Army›s decision to stay out of national competitions due to a feud with the national federation, robbed him of crucial opportunities. The 27-year-old made his return at the national championships in Pune last year and beat Incheon Games bronze medallist Sawarn Singh twice win both in the 2,000m and the 500m events. Dattu’s timing has improved since then under foreign coach Nicolae Gioga. | The Army rower had to endure a tough phase since making his Olympic debut in Brazil in 2016. His mother’s death and the Army›s decision to stay out of national competitions due to a feud with the national federation, robbed him of crucial opportunities. The 27-year-old made his return at the national championships in Pune last year and beat Incheon Games bronze medallist Sawarn Singh twice win both in the 2,000m and the 500m events. Dattu’s timing has improved since then under foreign coach Nicolae Gioga. | ||
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Latest revision as of 15:59, 31 July 2025
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
[edit] Biography
Tushar Dutt & Abhilash Botekar, July 29, 2016: The Times of India
PUNE/NASHIK: At 5 every morning, Dattu Bhokanal sets out for the Miami Beach Rowing Club. His next four hours are a tale of sweat, grit and uninterrupted training in the American beach city. An encore follows every evening.
Dattu is the only Indian to qualify in the singles sculls event for the Rio Olympics. Growing up as a youngster in rural western Maharashtra, he had a slightly different schedule. He tilled farmland, grazed cattle and dug wells - not an easy job in the parched Chandwad taluka in the remote village of Talegaon Rohi.He also took care of his ailing father.
"My struggles were born even before me. First it was only financial, but later it were emotional and physical too," remembers the rower.Dattu was just 19 when his father succumbed to bone cancer in 2011. "I didn't get any support from my relatives. I realized that it is my own battle and I will fight it out alone. And I decided to appear for the army entrance test," he says.
Dattu didn't know much about the recruitment process, but he knew one thing well: himself. "I knew that I won't score high in the written exam, so I must perform extraordinarily well in the physical test. And as I had thought, my deficit in the written test was compensated by my physical exam scores. I made it to the Indian Army," says Dattu, now a strapping six feet, four inches tall havildar.
After joining the Bombay Engineering Group and Centre (BEG) in Pune, Dattu was keen on taking up a sport. Rowing attracted him, but he had some inhibitions. "I used to get scared of everything when my father was alive. After his death, I wanted to shed my fears away. I made sure to do the things first that scared me," he says.In spite of not knowing how to swim, Dattu took up rowing to get rid of his fears. The army job joining had taken care of his financial needs but he wanted to do something that will make him proud.The moment came when he booked a berth for the Rio Games. "Qualifying for the Olympics was the happiest moment for me in years. But I couldn't share it with my parents," he rues.
His mother fell down while riding pillion with his brother days before Dattu was to leave for Korea to participate in the Asian qualifiers. "She now fails to recognise anybody and is under treatment," says his grandfather Rambhau. His two younger brothers, Gokul and Yuvraj, take care of the household duties, their mother and grandparents.
But Dattu refuses to be cowed down by life's unkind cuts. "I become strong in difficult times. I don't know what it is termed in psychology, but I remain calm in adversities. I dread the time when there are too many good things happening around me. It gives me a sense of fear," he says.
[edit] 2018
[edit] As in August
August 17, 2018: The Times of India
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From: August 23, 2018: The India Today
The Army rower had to endure a tough phase since making his Olympic debut in Brazil in 2016. His mother’s death and the Army›s decision to stay out of national competitions due to a feud with the national federation, robbed him of crucial opportunities. The 27-year-old made his return at the national championships in Pune last year and beat Incheon Games bronze medallist Sawarn Singh twice win both in the 2,000m and the 500m events. Dattu’s timing has improved since then under foreign coach Nicolae Gioga.
