Q. Tell us something about yourself and your journey?
Ans. My name is Kush Verma I am a Triathlon National Athlete. I've always been interested in sports. My family was aware of my sporting proclivity, but they were at a loss as to how to proceed. So, regardless of the time, I spent most of my childhood in the backyard, playing whatever sport I could play alone or with the help of a wall. I played a little volleyball, basketball and cricket.
My school began a sports academy while I was in eighth grade. I joined it as soon as I could. I began swimming and was assigned to Abhishek Sir, a fantastic coach who instilled in me a competitive drive. He was one of the few people who believed I had the potential to be good. That meant a lot to me because it was the first time I felt like I had a place here. I was completely at ease. Working hard was never an issue for me because I was always willing to put in the effort.
In my first year, I began competing although my performance was not stellar, but it was sufficient for me to commit to the sport. There I met a great swimmer, Yash, who had been competing for a while and is now one of my best friends. So my first goal was to outperform him rather than to obtain gold in the district. We both began to work diligently and were committed to the grind to the fullest extent possible. Needless to say, my want to be better than him was gone. We became close friends and we both were working hard to make each other the best versions of ourselves. I believe my first 8 competitions went podium less. But that didn’t bother me much. And then I started winning, getting qualified for states and my confidence also started soaring up. I don't recall much from this period, but I was certainly not at my best, albeit I was improving. As swimming pools were closed during winters and were available only at the academy, I began playing volleyball/badminton in the winter. Shweta Ma'am was hired as a new volleyball coach in my 8th grade, and she invited me to join the squad as a substitute. It was finally time for me to get my very first jersey. It's a strange sensation. Towards the end of 9th grade, I went to Bangalore alone to improve my swimming for nearly a month.
Q. How did you develop your interest in sports and especially triathlon?
Ans. DPS Kalyanpur hosts this Panorama, which includes a Triathlon. Last year, our school sent a participant who won the third position. My coach advised me to go this year, even though I wasn't sure. I had approximately a month to prepare. Everything was terrifying, and all I wanted to do was finish the event. Nevertheless, I competed and got my first gold medal. The excellent thing about the event was that I was able to complete the whole event on time in which I usually complete 400 metres of swimming. I was unconcerned about my exhaustion after the run and bike. After that, I began training for a Triathlon to test if this was a fluke or if it was for real. I quickly realized that while swimming was enjoyable, I found Triathlon to be more exciting and hard. I quickly found a triathlete coach who assisted me in breaking into the Indian triathlon circuit. I came 7th in my first race.
Q. Tell us your experience of the National level Triathlon Competition, any back-story, and how you felt?
Ans. I have a few good stories to tell. It was an incredible experience to compete in my first and only duathlon. I was scheduled to go out and train with my bicycle club, but they only notified me in the morning that they were going to participate in this duathlon event, which would begin in about an hour after I was informed. I agreed without even having to think about it. I won that event by a very small margin, and the guy who invited me came in second.
I competed in a sprint distance triathlon in Delhi, where I was leading after a swim and 10 kilometres on the bicycle. With my bicycle in hand, I had to sprint to the next pit stop and get it fixed. I lost a significant amount of time, and many athletes passed me by. I hopped back on my bicycle and began riding. Around the 18-kilometres point, it was punctured once more. I decided to run for it. My legs were dead and I didn't know where I stood when I parked my bicycle. I started running and spotted several folks who I believed were ahead of me around halfway through. They were accustomed to their surroundings. I crossed them but was still unsure of my position. I was simply sprinting as quickly as I could. I completed the race. Everyone knew what I had gone through during the marathon, so there was genuine applause for me. I was just playing there when the announcer called out my bib number and informed me that I had placed third. This was something I had not imagined to be possible.
Q. Did you face any challenges in your journey?
Ans. The word "challenges" is a bit of a misnomer. Let's call them obstacles that I had to overcome. My injuries were the hardest obstacle for me to overcome. After finishing second in Bali, I became more prone to injuries. As a result, I had to take a significant amount of time off. And the level I was playing at didn't allow for a lot of manoeuvrability. I wouldn't win if I had a minute off at the moment. But, certainly, I'm aware of the concerns. I'm still working through them, but there's nothing I can't overcome if I concentrate and trust the process.
Q. What are your future plans?
Ans. COVID-19, as much as I hate to say it, has had an impact on a lot of my plans. With the uncertainties all around, I haven't been in the right frame of mind to perform. This is something I've acknowledged. Not being hard on myself or focusing too much on the future right now has been quite beneficial to me. This past year was very hard. There were no competitions for me to compete in after I lost my grandfather, who was always pushing me. The pools are still shut down. I am simply focused on improving by a little each day.
Q. Any message for people who want to follow their passion?
Ans. Stop thinking about it and do it. Don't even consider it. You're at an age where you can figure things out on the way. To begin, you don't need a destination. Everything you do will benefit you in some manner in the future. Just keep grinding and trust the process.
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