Bodybuilder P. Vinoth Kumar of Coimbatore was in for a pleasant surprise last month. The State Body Building Association found him fit to participate in the World championship at Koper in Slovenia from June 24 to 26. He was obviously thrilled but the letter came with a rider that he may have to fend his expenses for the tour.
The total package is Rs. 1,37,500 but the burden of rounding up the sum has now started to weigh heavily on the broad shoulders of this otherwise strong and fit man.
“I badly want to go as it is my maiden international tour but the financial part is what is pushing me down both physically and mentally every day,” said Vinoth, who began his journey as a bodybuilder in 2003.
He wouldn’t have had to really run from pillar to post in search of a sponsor had his parents been around. Vinoth lost his mother (Kamalam) in a tragic road accident in 2010. “Actually, I was getting ready for the bodybuilding nationals that day when I got the news that my mother passed away. It came as a rude shock because she was everything to me,” he said.
Vinoth found it hard to come to terms. He stayed away from the sport for over three years and just when he decided to stage a comeback he lost his father as well.
“My father had always told me to keep my body fit. So, I went to the gym and they found me in good shape and advised me to take part in a district-level competition. Surprisingly, I finished third in the junior class and my interest grew from there. Today, I miss him so much.”
But after his father’s demise, the road to recovery for this small-time businessman (food supplements) was rather long.
His big worry now is meeting the world tour cost. He has to pay the money by the month end.
The total package is Rs. 1,37,500 but the burden of rounding up the sum has now started to weigh heavily on the broad shoulders of this otherwise strong and fit man.
“I badly want to go as it is my maiden international tour but the financial part is what is pushing me down both physically and mentally every day,” said Vinoth, who began his journey as a bodybuilder in 2003.
He wouldn’t have had to really run from pillar to post in search of a sponsor had his parents been around. Vinoth lost his mother (Kamalam) in a tragic road accident in 2010. “Actually, I was getting ready for the bodybuilding nationals that day when I got the news that my mother passed away. It came as a rude shock because she was everything to me,” he said.
Vinoth found it hard to come to terms. He stayed away from the sport for over three years and just when he decided to stage a comeback he lost his father as well.
“My father had always told me to keep my body fit. So, I went to the gym and they found me in good shape and advised me to take part in a district-level competition. Surprisingly, I finished third in the junior class and my interest grew from there. Today, I miss him so much.”
But after his father’s demise, the road to recovery for this small-time businessman (food supplements) was rather long.
His big worry now is meeting the world tour cost. He has to pay the money by the month end.