Raj Bhavsar has the unique distinction of being the only male US gymnast of Indian origin to win a medal at the Olympics. The 43-year old did the unthinkable when he clinched the bronze medal in the parallel bars in the Beijing Olympics in 2008..Apart from this, he is a two time silver medallist at the World Championships.
Raj whose parents hail from Gujarat – Vadodara to be precise has been a fighter to the core—evidence of this comes from the fact that he stuck to this task of winning a medal despite near misses in the Sydney (2000) and Athens Olympics (2004). It’s a tribute to his guts and gumption that he finally managed to achieve his cherished dream of winning an Olympic medal.
Pic credit: Robert Seale.
Such was Raj’s love for India that immediately on winning the medal he wanted to come and put the medal at the neck of his grandfather Bhanulal Bhavsar who happened to be staying in Vadodara.
Even though I was born and raised up in Houston, I just felt like going and placing the medal on my grandfathers neck, I had a major connect with him and felt that it was only because of the prayers and that I could win the Olympic medal, “ he said,
Raj;s parents Jyotindra and Surekha were both professionals, They had a decent live style in Vadodara before Jyotindra decided to pack his bags and pursue greener pastures in the US,
Raj was born in Houston, Texas and as a king played all sorts of games. These included tennis, soccer, chess among others,
Raj’s tryst with gymnastics was more by accident than by design, One day as an 10 year old he happened to accompany his uncle Ramesh who was a gymnast at the local club in Houston, Ramesh asked Raj to try a hand at the parallel bars—something which Raj didn’t like.
It took some persuasion from Ramesh to make Raj try his hand at the bars. He almost fell down , but it sort of acted like a challenge. “I was drawn to the parallel bars since I almost fell off it. The challenge of conquering it was what acted like a catalyst to fuel my love for it, “ said Raj,
Slowly but surely, Raj convinced himself and then his parents that he was good at the sport, He started competing in a lot of local gymnastic tournaments and soon began winning titles—something which showcased his talent in the sport.
Time flew by and soon Raj was old enough to go to college. It was here that he announced to the world about his enormous talent. Raj who had enrolled for an economic degree at Ohio State University. In the second year, while competing for his College he was crowned USA’s best athlete. Later, in 2002, he became the NCAA champion, which is the apex award in the US Collegiate system.
“There is no doubt that my NCAA victory proved a point to me more than to anyone else. That I could compete against the best in the US. My parents who were hoping that I would become an successful economist till that time also realized that my future lay in gymnastics more than anything else,” Raj said,
Raj was soon representing US in international competitions including the Pan American Games. He was able to win medals, which also earned him the right to represent US in the Sydney Olympics. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury put paid to his hopes of competing further at this Olympics.
Raj kept working harder and harder and was representing Team US in the Athens Olympics in 2004. There he was once again a victim of bad luck when a freak shin injury prevented him from giving his best, He was crestfallen but not out.
“Frankly, I could not reconcile to my freak injury in the Athens Olympics. I had worked very hard for this and just could not comprehend the bad luck that was to dodge me. I thought Athens (Olympics) was enough but then to be unlucky in the next Olympics is something of a nightmare,” said Raj,
Neverthless, Raj stuck on with his task and got himself ready for a third Olympics. This was in Beijing and China was hosting it for the very first time. Raj had a feeling before the event that could land up with a medal. “I don’t know how to put a finger on it, It was a sort of an instinct,” he said,
If bad luck followed and consumed him in Sydney and Athens, then he had lady luck smiling on him for the third time in Beijing. For he was never a first choice in the US team and got in from the back door when Thomas Issac got injured.
Raj made most of his luck when he gave his best to win the bronze medal, ‘I will never forget that moment. When I landed a perfect score on the parallel bars in my third attempt, I could finally let a sigh of relief,” said Raj.
