Kavita Tungar: Miles to run before she stops

Hailing from a tiny village close to Nashik, Kavita has had her share of trials while training for the Commonwealth Games and Olympics. The 31-year-old Arjuna awardee opens up about her journey and her future plans.

The long-distance runner, who holds the current national record for 10 km road running with a timing of 34:32, as well as the current national record in the half marathon with a timing of 1:12:50, considers the 2016 Rio Olympics as the pinnacle of her career. “Running for the 2016 Olympics was my dream and it came true finally. I’ve been waiting for this since I started running marathons. Though I had a lot of trouble in between, my passion kept me going,” says Kavita.

The bronze medal winner in 10,000 metres race at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, says, that continuity and discipline are very important for a long-distance runner. “There were a lot of low times in my sports career. But I was very focused on what I want. It took me around 17 years to represent India at the Rio Olympics. I have been putting my efforts all over the years. I never gave up and was constantly fighting and training for the Olympics,” says the athlete.

It’s just been a year since she started running full-marathons. “Before this I raced up 5 kms, 10 kms and half marathons. My family comes from a small village and did not know what athletics was all about. Yet they allowed me to pursue this career,” quips Kavita.  

Ever since she has started running, sports have given her everything — money, job and status. “I owe everything to my sporting career. I didn’t have any facilities during the initial days and I know how tough it is for an athlete. I want to give those amenities and train the next generation of athletes from my village. Being an Olympian myself, I want more people from my hometown to pursue running and will be glad if I can gift another Olympian to our country. That’s my wish.”

Talking about injuries, the athlete says, “I have had my share of injuries before all the major tournaments. Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2014 Olympics, I’ve suffered stress fractures. But I have worked around the injuries all these years and know how to handle myself so that I can avoid injuries to an extent.”

Opening up to us about her diet and training plans, the runner says, “I prefer liquid food — more of fruits, juices and salads. I take carbohydrates in limited proportions and totally avoid proteins. I practice daily without any fail. Running without any injuries is my main priority now. I also do a lot of hard-core exercises to stay fit.”