Raipur, March 28 -- When a former Army coach Gurvinder Singh suggested that Babulal Hembrom stop playing other sports and take up weightlifting given his body structure, the biggest challenge for the teenager from Keribanda village in Ramgarh District of Jharkhand was to find funds to pursue the sport.But instead of giving up, Babulal began training by using bamboo sticks and iron rods at construction sites before joining the Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society coaching centre, which meant commuting 60 km daily to train under Gurvinder.
"It was a tough period for me when I took up the sport in 2018. Financially, we couldn't afford the equipment and the kit to train and hence I would make do with bamboo sticks and iron rods. Then I got...