Winning the Triathlon – Arnav Manoj

In this feature of Stars of Ekya, we speak to Arnav Nama Manoj of Grade IV from Ekya JP Nagar, who won a Triathlon competition, held in Goa conducted by Pioneering Ventures and Enduro Sports. Participating in the Under-11 Category, the triathlon tested Arnav across the three events – 150 metres swimming, 2.2 kilometres of bicycling and 1.2 kilometres of running. Arnav bagged first place, finishing with an impressive time of 17 minutes and 52 seconds. The Editorial team of Ekya JP Nagar sat down with the champion to discuss his experience with the event and what it felt lifting the trophy.

Owing his interest in the event to his father, who frequents at triathlons across the country, Arnav’s participation in the competition came with great encouragement and support. “My father is my inspiration to have started with such competitions. I trained with him and participated in my first triathlon in 2016 where I stood third”

The hunger and desire to beat his previous finish, got Arnav to train well for this year’s Triathlon, as he adds, “I had just four weeks of practice running up to my 2016 event. This year, I ensured I started early. I have been training since June and the event was in November.”

For an event that includes three styles of sports, swimming plays favourite for Arnav who enjoys his time in the pool. It was a close finish in Goa, as he recalls it, “When I finished swimming, I thought I wouldn’t make it to the finish. There were five participants ahead of me. Eventually, I took the lead during the cycling event. There was no looking back. I was confident that I had first place in the bag. And I did!”

While admitting that he had the pre-event jitters, Arnav maintains that he was really excited to be back to the competition and looks forward to participating again next year, this time with the goal to better his time. When quizzed on his training regime, Arnav’s face beamed as he spoke at length about his routine, “During the first month, the training was focused on one sport or exercise – core exercise, cycling practice for 2.8 km, swimming for 2 km and running for 2 km. To prepare for the event, I would train in the morning before school. Now, my routine is in the evening. I train with my father who advises me on how to go about with each course.”

Don’t do everything quickly. You need to work on endurance and stamina. You might do extremely well in one of the sport, but you can have others catch up and beat you in the other events. So you need to maintain your speed and pace for all three – swimming, cycling and running.

– Arnav’s advice for anyone looking to participate in a triathlon

With his sights set on next year’s competition, Arnav looks to get better at running and cycling, with the self-imposed challenge of beating his own time. We wish Arnav the best!