Surendra was among the last to earn a ticket to Beijing, setting his second National record during Indian athletes’ tour of Europe earlier this month. As is to be expected from an armyman, Surendra’s qualification in the 10000 metres was built on long battles with himself, when he made steady steps towards his target, wavering not even one bit in his task.

During that process, he smashed one of the longest standing records in Indian athletics, set by another sturdy athlete 32 years ago. Hari Chand’s time of 28:48.72, clocked at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, had withstood assaults from many a talented runner over the years but finally, the mark tumbled on June 15 to the determined strides of a warrior from Uttarakhand.

Trip to Europe

That performance when he timed 28:22.79 did not fetch Surendra an Olympic qualification — it would come many days later in the Spanish town of Vigo —  but it was indeed the highlight of the training-cum-competition trip to Europe undertaken by India’s middle and long-distance runners under coach Nikolai Snesariev of Belarus, primarily with the aim of gaining Beijing spots. The effort signalled the breaking of a barrier and instilled in Surendra a belief that he was capable of more.

“I was not at all disappointed that I could not clinch a qualifying spot on that day,” said Surendra, back in India for the final preparations towards Beijing. “I knew I had broken a long-standing record and I was a happy about it. I was also aware that I had another chance to go under the qualification time,” he added.

That chance came on July 12 and Surendra grabbed it with both hands, lopping off precious seconds from his London mark for a 28:02.89 to duck under the Olympic standard of 28:10.00. He was fourth in that race but for once, placings did not matter. “A clutch of leading Spanish runners were there in the field, but I was not nervous at all. I was focused on my job and I could achieve it,” said Surendra.

Hailing from Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, Surendra, son of a farmer, didn’t have any serious goals in life. His only brush with sport had come during his school days when he used to run the 10km distance to his school, without ever realising that it would define his future career. Joining Garhwal Rifles in 1999, Surendra used to run as part of his daily drills but he didn’t take it up seriously till 2003, when he caught the eye of coach Avatar Singh.

Swift progress

Progress was swift from then on. Success in cross country races and a stint in the Army Sports Institute in Pune pushed him into the upper echelons of distance running in India. And the entry of Snesariev as India’s coach for middle and long distance races lifted him onto a different plane.

“The main thing about him is his discipline. And that works to our advantage,” said Surendra, who was sixth in both the 5000M and 10000M at the Asian Games in Doha two years ago.

That discipline stood the Naik Subedar in good stead as he tackled the qualification puzzle in the Olympic year. A big step towards that goal was the high-altitude training that he underwent in Munnar along with other distance runners, according to Surendra. “That really helped all of us, I am thankful for the authorities for making such an arrangment,” he said.

With a ticket to the biggest sporting extravaganza in the world in his hand, what are his plans for Beijing? “If I can improve my timing and come within the top-ten, I will be happy,” is his reply. It might seem like an impossible dream now, but for Surendra, the important thing is he has a dream to chase.

RK