Delhi slums to Jamaica: How a 16-yr-old made it to Usain Bolt's academy

Story of sixteen-year-old Nisar Ahmed, son of a rickshaw-puller, who has made it to Usain Bolt's training academy

A typical train journey in India can be a numbing experience: all the hutments and shanties, along both sides of the tracks, where people live with basic facilities. 

Sixteen-year-old Nisar Ahmed belongs to Bada Basti of Azadpur, Delhi, one such colony. His mother is a domestic help, his father a rickshaw-puller. But Nisar had a gift that his school spotted early. He can run. Among nine others chosen from across the country, Nisar will be soon heading to train at the Racer’s Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica, where the sporting legend Usain Bolt was trained.

Athletics was a chance encounter for Nisar, who had neither taken part in a sporting event nor trained under special coaches. “One day, our Physical Education sir came to the class and asked if anyone was interested in taking part in district-level championships,” recalls Nisar. “I just raised my hand and sir noted my name and class,” he says, adding, “I was the only one to secure a medal for my school at that event”.

Nisar working out at the gym

It was then that his teacher, Surinder Singh, started training him and thus began his first steps towards Jamaica. “I took part in the GAIL Indian Speed Star and was among the top nine students to have been selected,” adds an excited Nisar. It was at this event that he broke the under-14 record and was identified, along with eight others, to train at Kingston Club.

Youngest among the three children of Saifikunisha and Nankuh, Nisar had the ‘athletic’ talent in him since the beginning, say his parents. Showing their small yet spotless abode, Saifikunisha recalls how her three children grew up together sleeping on the very floor where now we stood talking. Despite a knee problem that requires her to shun work, Saifikunisha never stopped working as she saw her son work hard to achieve his dreams. “Doctors have advised me against straining my legs, but I have to do it because I don’t want my son to suffer,” says an emotional Saifikunisha. Their poverty did not let them deter Nisar from carrying on the mantle that he had acquired on his own. “Nisar’s sir brought food, especially ghee and other protein-rich food that we could hardly afford, for him,” she says, adding how important it was for Nisar to eat good food in order to build stamina for running.

His parents, Saifikunisha and Nankuh, at their house in Azadpur

 “He has the talent to be an Olympian,” says the proud father sitting in the 10x10 shanty, adding, “all he needs is the support from the state government and the sports ministry.” “Whatever we had, we have given it to our child, now it is up to the authorities to help my son reach where he belongs,” the frail rickshaw-puller adds.

A typical day in Nisar’s life begins at 5 am. After offering his namaaz, and morning workout, the 16-year-old heads out to his school, Government Boys Senior Secondary School in Ashok Vihar. For him, his school has been a big support in all his endeavours. “I don’t think I would have managed to pull everything off if it had not been for their support,” he says. It is not before 9 or 9.30 in the night that he heads home. “I leave for Chattrasal Stadium, where I undergo training for Commonwealth Games, straight from my school. After the training, I go to the gym and then return home,” says Nisar, who has been shelling out money from his own pocket to fund the gym expenses.

The urge to excel and achieve something bigger than what he has till now keeps this teenager going. “My achievements are very small when compared to those who have won laurels for the country but are still struggling to make their mark due to lack of facilities and support from the government,” Nisar says.