The 19-year-old passionate boxer, along with his supportive father swam 2.5 km in floodwaters to let him reach his district boxing teammates as they were heading to Bengaluru for a boxing competition
Bengaluru: A 19-year-old boxer from Belagavi, Karnataka, won a silver medal in a state-level championship. This did not make people laud the youngster but what came in for high praise is his unstoppable spirit in the midst of floods in north Karnataka.
As Nishan Manohar Kadam was all set to attend a boxing event in Bengaluru, floods marooned Mannur, his village in Belagavi. But he and his father, a farmer, found a way to beat nature's fury.
On August 7, Nishan was all set to catch his train to Bengaluru to participate in the event. But things didn't go as planned as floodwater was head-high around his home. The roads that connect his village were all submerged and damaged.
But, this did not stop Nishan from reaching the Belagavi district team. The boxer and father packed the boxing kit, making it water-resistant, and decided to swim in the floodwaters to meet his teammates.
The duo covered a distance of 2.5 km in 45 minutes to reach the spot where Nishan could join the team.
Three days later, Nishan won silver in Bengaluru. "I was waiting for this event and didn't want to miss it at any cost," said Nishan.
"Since our area was surrounded by water and no vehicles could enter, we had no other option but to swim," he said.
Although the teenager could not win gold in the light flyweight category losing out to Bharath from Bengaluru, he was happy with his performance and hoped for a better show next year.
Lauding Nishan for his bravery and enthusiasm, team manager Gajendra S Tripathi said that the situation has been tough for the past few days and many parents did not allow their children to take part in the event.
More than 200 boxers who represented 19 teams in six categories in the three-day event that concluded on Sunday (August 11).
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