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What motivates Paraclimbing World Cup gold winner Manikandan Kumar?
Summary
Paraclimbing World Cup gold winner Manikandan Kumar talks to Lounge about his career, how he stays in shape and his Paralympics dreamThe Paraclimbing World Cup in Innsbruck in June was special for Manikandan Kumar—he picked up his first gold at a World Cup, after climbing internationally for over a decade. Besides, the end of the competition marked the start of another dream, when the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) announced that paraclimbing had been included in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
“It was a big moment for our community, as we have been working towards it since 2016. Just to know that there’s a Paralympic gold at stake is huge motivation," Kumar, 38, says.
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Since his first international competition in 2012, Kumar has won multiple silver and bronze medals around the world. Last year, he won a silver and a bronze at world cup events, and followed it up with a bronze at the World Championships in Bern.His goal this year was to win gold, but he missed it during the first World Cup in Salt Lake City in May.
After getting back home to Bengaluru, he put in the work to gear up for Innsbruck, a competition where he had finished in fourth and fifth position in the last two years. At the end of qualification, Kumar finished in top spot and took that form to the final to win the RP2 category of Lead Climbing.
“Given my preparation, I knew I was better than the competition. And quite honestly, I am tired of winning silver and bronze all the time. I went in with the right mindset and simply told myself that I had to come back with gold. Winning in Innsbruck is special because it is known to be one of the tougher competitions on the circuit," he says.
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At the age of five, Kumar contracted polio in his right leg, though it never stopped him from chasing his calling. The first climb in the outdoors in 2002 had him hooked and he was soon lining up at the climbing wall at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, putting in long training hours to excel. With few paraclimbing competitions at the time, he would take on able-bodied climbers at domestic competitions and routinely finish among the top-10.
Though outdoor climbing has been a sport for over a century, IFSC, sport climbing’s governing body, was formed only in 2007. It took until 2011 for the first international paraclimbing competition to be organised and the very next year, Kumar set off for Paris to compete at the World Championships. He returned with gold. That first medal was enough motivation for him to set aside education to chase his climbing goals.
However, the early years were a constant struggle to travel and compete. Things got better in November 2020 when he managed to start his own climbing gym and utilised his earnings to travel to competitions. Though a few companies step in with small amounts once in a while, fundraising continues to be a constant distraction for Kumar.
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“I’m the only Indian athlete to have competed every year since paraclimbing went international. But not much has changed even after winning so many medals. It continues to be a struggle to put together the finances, so I lead a simple lifestyle back home and collect money to compete abroad," he says.“That said, I don’t want sympathy to gain support. I’m the only Indian climber to have won medals at World Cups and World Championships. I’m putting in the effort like any other athlete would. I want my performance to speak for itself."
Having his own climbing gym has made training a lot easier but the lack of access to gear, including the latest climbing holds that are used during competition, often requires him to travel abroad for preparation.
It was no different at the start of the year when Kumar had to put together funds to train in Japan. During the two month stint, he worked on fine-tuning his skills alongside some of the best climbers in the world.“The Japanese are really disciplined and are blessed with a very different mentality, a high work ethic and the desire to succeed. The training was a lot more streamlined and working with other climbers always pushes you to climb better. I don’t have that kind of an environment back home," he says.
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Kumar has now won every single medal there is at the World Championships and World Cups. He wants to continue competing in as many competitions as he can over the next four years to gear up for the ultimate prize.“Now there’s just a Paralympic medal to win. I know it will come if I find the right support to continue training," he says.
Kumar will be 42 by the time the next edition of the Paralympic Games comes around, though he feels it’s hardly a deterrent.“Age has nothing to do with what one can achieve if you have the determination to succeed. I look forward to competing even at the Brisbane Paralympics in 2032 if that’s possible. It’s just about maintaining my fitness and remaining injury free," he says.
Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based journalist.
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