Sports lovers around the world may associate the name ‘Harbhajan Singh'
with cricket, but a grand old athlete from Melbourne, Australia, may
soon become the more recognizable sports personality with that name!
77-year old Harbhajan Singh Aulakh is competing at the World Masters Games being held in Sydney and is tipped to be one of the more successful veteran athletes in the world.
He has competed in seven events so far and has already won three gold, three silver and one bronze medal. With another six events still to come, who know what the final tally might be!!
Earlier this year in February-March, Harbhajan Singh won six gold medals at the 12th Australian Masters Games held in Geelong (Victoria) and since then, he had his sights set at the upcoming World Masters in Sydney.
At the Australian Masters, he was to compete in 11 events, but unfortunately a muscle pull forced him to withdraw after six events. He says ruefully,"I had to forfeit my pet events because of the muscle pull, otherwise I would have won many more gold medals at the Australian Masters. But as a result of that, I've practiced and trained really hard during the last few months. I know exactly what my competition is and I know how to beat them. So I'm taking part in 13 events at the World Masters in Sydney".
Amazingly, he had won a gold medal in every event that he participated in at the Australian Masters, and even in Sydney, he has kept up the winning streak by winning a medal at every event so far.
He is participating in 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 5000m Walk, 100m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles, Steeple Chase, Long Jump, Triple Jump and High Jump.
Migrating to Australia just over two years ago and proudly displaying the Australian flag at the World Masters tournament, Harbhajan Singh says, "I've made Punjabis and Indians happy all my life; this time round, I want to make the Australians happy by winning medals for them."
Sardar Harbhajan Singh is a simple soul who describes himself as an "illiterate village bumpkin"; but the great spirit and determination that he embodies could as easily be described as essentially Punjabi or quintessentially Australian!
"Nobody has ever paid or sponsored me to compete at any event, whether nationally or internationally. I've done it all at my own expense, because I love competing and I don't want to rely on any one's generosity," he says.
Prior to the Sydney tournament, he had won 68 medals (of which a whopping 43 are gold) in national and international events, including the Asian Games and previous World Masters Games.
An accomplished hockey player in his heyday and a school teacher in the prime of his life, he began participating at veterans events since 1981 and has never looked back since. He has won medals in Malaysia, UK, Australia and many other countries apart from India, always paying his own way to the tournaments.
Born on June 16, 1932 in district Gurdaspur of Punjab, he was involved in sports right from his early childhood years. He recalls that back in the old days when he was a youngster competing at various sporting events around Punjab, the winners weren't presented with medals - instead, they won utensils (pots or pans) made of copper or brass!
With a laugh he told me that his mother was most pleased when he won a
competition because he would bring home shiny new pots and pans! As an
incentive, she would make special "sweet water" for him - just jaggery
mixed in water - and goad him on to win more competitions, so her
kitchen would be the envy of every other woman in Punjab!
"I collected many utensils in my younger days, thanks to that ‘sweet water'", laughed Harbhajan Singh.
That's the simplicity of this man, who credits his remarkable success in the track field to two women - his mother and his wife. Deeply grateful to the Almighty for his spectacular success, he is also proud of his Melbourne-based son, who provides him with complete financial support, giving him the ability to compete world wide.
"Its not easy to continue doing this, both personally and financially. But I know that if I want to continue, my son wouldn't hesitate in supporting me", he says.
Young at heart, and youthful in his outlook, Harbhajan Singh prefers
the company of youngsters. "I may be 77 years old, but my mind tells
me, I'm still very young. When I go to tournaments, I prefer to stay
with young athletes rather than with the older coaches. I find that I
learn a lot from youngsters, from their technique, as well as from
their outlook".
Whether or not he becomes the better known Harbhajan Singh in the world of sport, he may soon be rightfully called Australia's own Fauja Singh. And as his medal tally continues to grow in Sydney, Harbhajan is an inspiration to all - that any one can achieve anything, at any age, at any world stage, as long as they put in the required hard work and have the right attitude in life.
Editor's Note: S. Harbhajan Singh's final tally is 10 medals: 4 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze. He picked up a gold yesterday and a silver and bronze today, even though he had pulled a muscle during his second-last event. He will not be competing in the final two events that were slated for today. But its a rich harvest of 10 medals, and we congatulate him for it. (Oct 18, 2009)
To hear an interview with our SuperHero, please click on www.sbs.com.au/punjabi