From Laying Roads to Walking Up His Own To Asian Games Glory: Indian Racewalker Ram Baboo's Journey So Far

Gold at the National Championships, a National record-breaking performance, and to top it all off, a Bronze at the Asian Games. Ram Baboo has clearly and definitively reached the upper echelon of race-walking circles. But, his road to glory was anything but a cakewalk.

India at Asian Games: FULL COVERAGE | MEDAL TALLY | RESULTS | SCHEDULE 

Looking back at no longer than the pandemic period will show you a different side of Ram Baboo. He was not out in the circuits, race-walking his way to glory tirelessly, yet instead racing back and forth between a kitchen and multiple tables, as he was ordered to clear the tables of a small-town restaurant.

In a interview with Sportstar, Ram Baboo talked about this period of time in his life and said, “People used to be disrespectful all the time. I used to feel guilty and hurt. Sometimes, I’d work till midnight and even on a Sunday. After that I used to train from 4 am to 8 am and then get back to work.”

But, he was determined to make it big. And there was on turning back after that eventful day in in early 2018 when Ram Baboo, who hails from the village of Bahura in the poverty-stricken Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, made the decision to pursue his dreams of making it big as a race-walker. He knew what lay ahead was an unpleasant and unforgiving path. Yet, it was one he was willing to tread willingly with ambition in his mind and strength in his heart.

With time and patience, things started to turn around for Ram Baboo, who through the help and guidance of former Olympian Basant Bahadur Rana, kept working towards his dream.

But, COVID-19 struck down hard, not only on the people but on Ram Baboo’s dreams as well. And in this period of desperation, he was forced to sideline his ambitions and provide for his family first, which is exactly what he did as he retuned back home to work as manual labour, digging ponds and roads under the MNREGA, earning a meagre 200-200 rupees per day.

But, like they all say, tough times never last, tough people do. And that is what Ram Baboo exemplified, as through all the odds and strife, he kept faith and walked his way to glory, one step at a time, one day at a time.

It al started with a silver medal in the men’s 50km event at the Racewalking championships in Ranchi in 2021, followed by a gold with a new National Record (NR) in the men’s 35km event at the Open Nationals a few months later.

And before we knew it, he started performing regularly since, winning a silver in the 35km event at the Racewalking Championships in 2022 and now, bringing glory to India yet again in the nation’s historic outing at the Asian Games this year, clinching a bronze medal in the 35km Race Walk Mixed Team event at the 19th Asian Game, taking India’s tally to 70 medals and equalling the highest-ever haul in the mega event.

Ram Baboo completed the 2 hours 42:11 minutes while Manju Rani needed 3 hours and 09:03 minutes to complete the race. India finished third with a combined timing of 5:51:14, trailing eventual winners China by 34:33 minutes.

The bronze medal took the Indian tally to 70-equalling its best-ever haul of 70 medals won in the previous edition in Indonesia held in 2018.

And now, Ram Baboo will be gunning to take the next step and carry his form into the Paris Olympics next year in his calculated and patient chase for glory.

India at Asian Games: FULL COVERAGE | MEDAL TALLY | RESULTS | SCHEDULE