“Dreaming of victory is not enough... one must work hard to fulfil that dream.” These are the words of Mo Farah, the legendary long-distance British runner.
Indian athlete Thonakal Gopi, from Wayanad, Kerala, seems to concur, going by his WhatsApp status—which hasn't changed since June 5, 2017. The 29-year-old marathoner from Wayanad, Kerala, who became the first Indian to win gold at the recently concluded Asian Marathon Championships in China clocking 2:15:48, writes: “Having a dream is important, but training is much more important and critical to victory. One must work hard to reach the goal—there are no alternatives.”
What else can be expected from a fan of Farah?
Fulfilling the dream wasn't easy. First, it was his run to overcome the trials and tribulations of life, and then the race for medals. When Gopi, who hails from Moolankavu in Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad, stood on the victory podium of the event in Beijing, it was a lesson for the whole nation that hard work and determination are sure to bring success.
Gopi's life took a turn when he was in the fifth standard at the Government Higher Secondary School at Kakkavayal. He was spotted by the school’s physical education teacher K.P. Vijayi, and she took Gopi under her wings. Gopi was trained in long-distance events, considering the hilly and difficult terrain of Wayanad. The sub-district level and district-level athletics events shaped the athlete in Gopi gradually. He stayed at Vijayi’s home, and she treated him like her own son.
Gopi became the individual champion at the district school sports meet on the basis of his victories in the long-distance events. However, he could win only one medal at the state-level sports meet—a bronze in 1,500m. Gopi did not have to undergo intensive training at his young age. This stood him in good stead in future. After completing his 12th standard, Gopi joined Mar Athanasius College at Kothamangalam. In view of his sterling performances at the university level, he joined the Army Sports Institute in Pune. It opened up a whole world of opportunities for Gopi. And he was prepared to go to great lengths to fulfil his dream. He went home only once in a year. The Army arranged gave him top-class training facilities, and he trained under the watchful eyes of coach Surendar Singh.
There was no looking back for Gopi. He made national headlines by winning gold in the 10,000m run at the Open Athletics in 2014. He also rewrote history by breaking the 23-year-old South Asian record held by Bahadur Singh in 10,000m at the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games.
Despite the adulation, Gopi was in no mood to go easy on his training. In the Mumbai Marathon in 2016, he had acted as a pacemaker for fellow runners Khetha Ram and Nithyendra Singh. However, in that run, Gopi qualified for the Rio Olympics. He ranked 25th of the 168 runners who participated in the 10,000m run, with a career-best time of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds. (It may be noted that only 140 of 168 completed the run). At the World Athletics Championship held in London, Gopi finished 28th. He went on to win a silver at the Asian Athletics Championships held in Bhubaneswar.
The article was originally published in Malayala Manorama
