Master class

Taking the 25th National Masters Athletic Championship in Hyderabad in their winning stride, Bombay’s Dr Rohinton Mehta and Khushru Patel won gold in their respective events, while Soli Karan-jia walked away with a bronze. The silver jubilee edition of the veterans meet saw over 2,400 athletes converge at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium from March 4-7, 2004, the largest participation so far, according to Mehta, for this championship.

The spring in Mehta’s step saw him win the 400 m hurdles in the 40 plus age group, with a timing of 65.02 sec which, incidentally, also betters the existing open All-Parsi record of 65.7. Mehta also anchored the Maha-rashtra relay squad to a silver finish in the taxing 4 x 400 m relay, with a team timing of 3 min 55.39 sec in the over 40 age group.

At the age of 64, Patel’s can-do attitude saw him finish first in the 5 km walk in the 60 plus age group with a time of 32 min 02 sec. Patel placed sixth in the exacting 21 km half marathon, with a respectable timing of 1 hr 49 min.

Participating in the 45 plus category, Ka-ranjia clocked 28 min 44.7 sec to finish third in the 5 km walk. All three athletes have been selected, says Mehta, to represent India at the Asian Masters Athletic Championship to be held in Bangkok in December this year.

Lawyer and researcher in the legal department of ITC (India Tobacco Company) Limited, Mehta holds a doctorate in law from the University of Bombay in the field of criminology. Winner of several prizes and scholarships, Mehta has authored publications on legal subjects. This is his fifth year of competitive running, having taken up athletics seriously at the age of 37. "The middle years, from 25-35, I was more into karate, cycling and mountaineering,” he explains, adding that he has been a reasonably fit athlete from his young days. Training at Priyadarshini Park two to three times a week, Mehta also runs once a week on the road, does weight training in the gym and at home as well as cycles, swims and hikes to further fitness. The rigors of the race do not daunt him. He has no coach, but does get occasional tips from former international athlete Homiyar Mistry who now trains athletes and legendary coach Bala Govind. "When I got to know that there is a complete circuit of state, national and international veterans’ meets, I entered my first competition with fairly little practice and won,” he relates, and has been hooked ever since!

The pressures of a job in the legal profession are too great, he believes, and running provides an outing, a distraction. "Otherwise we get swept away by stress,” he says. "I hate to lose and this motivates me to train harder.” Selected twice before for international meets, (in China and Sri Lanka), Mehta says he forfeited the earlier chances as he felt he was not 100 percent prepared. "I have promised myself that if I come within the top three in Bangkok, I will go for the World Masters Games in Edmonton, Canada, next year,” he declares.

Retiring as senior manager, Air India, around seven years ago, Patel does not let age demand its dues. A former triathlete (swimming/cycling/running) and duathlon (running/cycling) champion in the 40 plus age group, Patel has run half a dozen half marathons in almost as many years, including the recent Bombay International Marathon, finishing in a time of 2 hrs 02 min. In 2000 at the age of 60, Patel had also succeeded in breaking the All-Parsis 2 km walk record in the open category, Mehta informs Parsiana.

Mehta: man on the move

"Khushru took up running about 17 years ago when a friend’s son, who is a national champion, persuaded him to try it,” says his wife Meher. Patel was unable to speak to Parsiana as he was in Singapore as tour manager for a leading travel agency. Khush­ru runs every day, says Meher, either at Joggers Park or on Pali Hill, where they reside. He does it for the enjoyment, she adds, and all expenses for competitions, including tickets, are borne by the athlete himself.

Karanjia: determined to conquer Photo: Fali Palkhivala

Working as superintendent, Central Excise and Customs, 47-year-old Karanjia took to walking to overcome health problems. "Three years ago I developed diabetes and since I was not too keen to take tablets, the doctor recommended regular walking,” he explains. "I have always been a fast walker. I used to do long jump and play kabbadi earlier, and have been a member of the South Gujarat University team.” A resident of Bharucha Baug at Andheri, Karanjia practices on the treadmill in the gym or at places like Juhu Chowpatty. "One has to practice in the international style — walking on heels, knees locking, back wiggling. I do not have a coach. I practice on my own. I am out of the house at five in the morning when the city is sleeping.”