2 months ago
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With 7 medals, including 5 golds, astatine the caller Open Masters Games Abu Dhabi, it is hard to judge Kurian Jacob took up swimming earnestly astatine 70. “I mightiness person started swimming earlier I started walking,” says Kurian who competed successful the 75-79 years aged category.
“I was 1 of 10 children, and I mightiness person been successful h2o a lot, playing successful the tributary of the Meenachil River with my older siblings,” helium says of his puerility astatine Thidanadu, which lies betwixt Kanjirapally and Erattupetta, which helium believes mightiness person contributed to his penchant for swimming.
Kurian came backmost empty-handed from his archetypal Kerala State and Inter-State Seniors Athletics championships successful 2019, but 2 years later, helium won his archetypal golden medal astatine the Inter-State Seniors meet. What happened successful the intervening 2 years led Kurian to that medal and consequent golds astatine different competitions.
“I took to YouTube to hone my skills. I watched videos to larn more. Public pools were closed astatine the time. However, successful 2021, erstwhile the pools re-opened I started swimming again. That is however I got amended astatine it.” Even today, helium trains astatine the Yacht Club swimming excavation successful Kochi. He swims for astir 2 hours, astatine slightest six days a week, covering 3 kilometres successful the 25 metres pool.
Over the past 5 years, helium has won 119 medals astatine assorted nationalist and planetary sports meets, the latest medal haul being astatine Abu Dhabi games. Kurian participated astatine his archetypal planetary competition, the European Masters’ Games (EMG) successful 2023, successful Finland, wherever helium won 5 medals — 3 metallic and 2 gold. There has been nary looking backmost for him since then.
In 2024, helium participated successful the Pan American Masters Games held successful Cleveland, USA. He bagged 2 golds, a metallic and a bronze medal. Last twelvemonth helium bagged 9 medals astatine Taipei, astatine the World Masters Games, which is held erstwhile successful 4 years. Open Masters Games is an yearly event.
Right now, his absorption is planetary events. The medals helium has won carnivore grounds to his hard enactment and determination.
Kurian Jacob with his woman Sunu | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
This resoluteness led him to triumph the golden medal successful the unfastened waters swimming contention successful Abu Dhabi. “This was February, though they said the somesthesia was 21 degrees Celsius, it felt much similar 18. It was a windy wintertime day, and the h2o was cold. We had to aquatics 2.5 kilometres. The infinitesimal I went into the water, the acold deed me, my limb cramped, and I drank rather a spot of the brackish h2o too. I thought I would inquire for a rescue due to the fact that I did not deliberation I could decorativeness it. But I did, and won the golden too!”
While others quit, Kurian persevered and won. This year, helium besides graduated to the 75-79 years-old category. “I was 1 of the youngest participants successful that group.”
At Abu Dhabi, helium besides won golden for the 800 metres, 400 metres, 200 metres freestyle and 200 metres breaststroke, isolated from a metallic successful the 100 metres freestyle and bronze successful the 50 metres freestyle. There is simply a headdress connected the fig of events an idiosyncratic could enactment in; it was 7 astatine Abu Dhabi.
Although helium is self-taught, this twelvemonth helium hired a swimming manager for a mates of weeks. “I wanted 1 to spot if my strokes were right. Also, it is hard to find coaches for seniors.”
He makes a beardown lawsuit for Government enactment oregon assistance successful the signifier of incentives for seniors who instrumentality with medals from planetary events. “Seniors carnivore each the costs if they privation to enactment successful planetary events, dissimilar younger sportspeople who would get immoderate sponsorships oregon enactment from the government. States specified arsenic Delhi and Punjab person incentivised winning medals astatine nationalist events, adjacent for elder participants. They springiness a currency purse to medal winners. I americium not asking for expenses to beryllium borne, but immoderate appreciation oregon acknowledgement goes a agelong way, astatine slightest for the medal winners.” He calls this a main ‘challenge’.
Even erstwhile it comes to sports argumentation and its formulation, helium says, aged athletes don’t figure. “It volition support seniors healthy, and the wellness of the federation volition improve.”
Kurian started his vocation arsenic a banker with Federal Bank, earlier moving connected to Standard Chartered and Gulf Bank; helium retired from the National Bank of Kuwait and settled down successful Kochi successful 2017. His ‘manager’ is his wife, Sunu, who helium says is integral to what helium has achieved. She accompanies him to his competitions. His different interests see kombucha brewing and dilatory cooking. He besides mentors a radical practising intermittent fasting.
If you thought helium was going to remainder connected his laurels, Kurian has already registered for the World Masters Games scheduled to beryllium held successful Kansai, Japan, successful 2027.
