Aayush Kunwar, 28, of Sanfebagar in Achham is excited. The six-foot-tall athlete will represent Nepal in the 100-200m events at the Asian Athletics Championships. The championship is scheduled from July 12 to July 16 in Bangkok. Along with Kunwar, six other Nepali athletes — Shiva Raj Parki, Som Bahadur Kumal, Mukesh Pal, Dipak Adhikari, Fulmati Rana and Raj Pura Pachhai — have also been selected for the championship.
Onlinekhabar recently caught up with Kunwar. In a conversation, he shared his expectation from the global championship, achievements, and challenges of athletes in Nepal among others.
Excerpt:
Is this your first international race?
Yes.
Could you share with us how it all happened?
I was called for a trial by the coaches for the selection of Asian Athletics. After the trial, coaches selected a group of athletes and I was also included in that selection.
Almost all athletes dream to represent their country in global competitions and it’s no exception for me. I had been trying for such an opportunity for a long time, and now the dream has finally come true.
How is the training session going?
The training is going well. Our practice begins at 7 am every day under the supervision of national coaches. We practice according to the category that we are selected for in the Asian Athletics Championships.
We engage in practice sessions at least three to four days a week, primarily focusing on running drills on the racing track. On the remaining days, we dedicate our training sessions to strength workouts at the gym.
Since it will be your first time in an international event, what are your expectations?
Realistically speaking, Nepal faces challenges in sprint events when compared to countries like China and Japan. However, as an athlete, I was to break the current national record of electronic time which is 10.71 seconds in the 100 metres and 21.95 seconds in the 200 metres. Since 1990 no one has beaten this record. I believe all the Nepali athletes participating in Asian Athletics Championships have a goal to beat the national record.
How did you get into athletics?
I have been a sports enthusiast since childhood. I was interested in football, table tennis and basketball and the base of every sport is athletics. In 2012, I was studying at Budhanilkantha School and I represented my school in the 200m and 400m races and the long jump in President Running Shield.
Getting a chance to run in Dasarath Rangasala was huge for me. I won gold medals in the 200m and 400m race and the long jump in the under 18 category. Likewise, I was also announced as the best athlete. Afterwards, members of departmental teams showed interest in me. This made me realise my potential and motivated me to continue athletics.
Tell us about your participation in a competition that is the most memorable and the achievements you have made to date.
In the 2018 National Games, I represented APF and won a gold medal in the relay race. I consider it as my biggest achievement to date. In the recently held National Games in Pokhara, I came fourth in the 100-metre race but in the 200-metre race unfortunately I couldn’t compete due to the hamstring. And now for the first time, I am representing Nepal on the global platform, which is also one of my biggest achievements.
Professionally you are a financial analyst, so how have you been managing time for athletics?
Actually, it is not that difficult. Most of the athletics events take place in the morning and after completing them I go to the office. My passion for sports or athletics also helps me to keep doing so. If you have a passion you can take both sports and work simultaneously.
As an athlete what sorts of challenges have you faced so far?
The main challenge for Nepali athletes is the lack of exposure and sponsors. It is hard for athletes to get sponsors. Similarly, there is also a lack of competition within the country. If the athletes get sufficient exposure and chance to participate in the tournaments they can do much better. And lastly, the infrastructure for the athletes should also be upgraded.
