SHABIHA NUR KHATOON
Marathon wonder K Siddharth, who has won several trophies at national level meets, is an energetic athlete who loves to toil hard
Born and brought up in Damanjodi which is nestled in one of the prettiest corners of the beautiful district of Koraput, K Siddharth aspires to be a marathon runner in future. Siddharth who is a Class VII student at DPS Damanjodi spoke to Orissa POST about his passion for athletics.
“It so happened that once I and my father went to a nearby park for jogging and there my father told me to participate in an ongoing race. Guess what, I came first and seeing my enthusiasm my father wanted me to start training,” said Siddharth.
“On my first running trip I covered a distance of 5km in five minutes. Subsequently, my father spoke to my teacher, Anil sir, the coordinator of DPS Damanjodi who trained agile and athletic students with a passion to excel in extra-curricular activities,” added the pint-sized sprinter.
Siddharth has participated in more than 15 marathons at the state and national levels. In his first marathon in 2013 organised by Nalco Club, Siddharth bagged the first position and his winning streak has continued ever since. He has participated in marathons held in different states and bagged the first position in all of them.
Recounting his latest performance, Siddharth said: “I participated in the Delhi Marathon, April 24, 2017, as the summer vacations are going on and I am free right now. Even if I am not practising hard, I try to keep myself fit so that once I resume to running I don’t encounter problems.”
People have role models. If you aspire to become a cricketer your role model would be Sachin. But Siddharth is one of those who don’t believe in the concept of role models. He feels he is in no way inferior to anybody. “I do read books on different athletes but I don’t have any role model as such because I feel everyone has their own identity and ability,” he said.
Anil Patnaik, Siddharth’s teacher, said that his pupil is good both in studies and extra-curricular activities. “Apart from running, Siddharth likes to play badminton in his free time. When his father first approached me to take up the responsibility of training the lad I was really happy that apart from studies student are also passionately taking part in extra-curricular activities,” Anil said.
Asked if he was interested in pursuing a career in athletics, Siddharth replied: “No. It is my passion.”
Asked if he followed a specific diet chart, the young marathon runner said: “Home cooked food is best for maintaining a healthy life. Once in a while I go for junk food but I often find myself resisting the temptation to gorge on street food as it could create problems in the long run.”
