India’s teenage marathon sensation Budhia Singh, who believes that he was ‘born to run’, has not returned from his summer vacation to Bhubaneswar’s Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel for more than a week.
An Indian Express report says that letters to his house had gone unanswered but his elder sister informed that Budhia was at his uncle’s place and may return later this month.
Budhia made headlines when he ran 65 kms at the tender age of four, but was also quite vocal about the terrible circumstances he was facing while at the hostel where he has been staying since 2007.
In an earlier interview with Indian Express, he had said…
All that I am getting to run in the hostel is a measly 1,500 metres. I’m being told to improve my speed by my coach, but I don’t know how far it would help me. I don’t like running sprints, but that’s what I am being asked to. I want specialised coaching for marathon running. I believe that I’m born to run marathons. Even now, I can run for more hours without getting tired. I’m neither getting the required coaching nor the food. I get just about 3 to 4 pieces of chicken, while I was being fed more when I was four years old. I feel like I’m in a jail. I want to leave the hostel.
He also disliked the regimented life in the hostel. “I wake up at 5 and then practice at the stadium between 6 am to 8.30 am. Then I go to school and come back by 4.30 pm. I practice at the stadium between 5 pm to 7 pm after which I sit down for studies,” he had said.
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Feature image source: AFP