Lucknow :

Being restricted to the wheelchair couldn’t stop 23-year-old Surya Pratap Sharma from flexing his muscles. This UP lad, who has an MBA degree under his belt, aims to bring laurels for the country by competing for the Armwrestling World Cup for Disabled to be held in Poland from November 17-21.

Sharma, who hails from Deoria, told TOI that since an early age he had an inclination towards sports. “I used to watch children of my age play cricket and football, while I had to be on a wheelchair. But this did not discourage me from venturing into sports. I had enormous strength in my arms and thought I could capitalise that to the maximum,” said Sharma.

Recalling a moment when he was in Class VIII, he how he tamed a tall fellow who used to fight with his friends for sitting in the front row in the classroom.

While, 2014 was a water-shed moment for him when Sharma enrolled for BCom course at Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University in Lucknow.

“Some seniors guided my strength into arm-wrestling and teachers kept mentoring me to keep moving. I first entered in a championship in 2014 at New Delhi and since then has never looked back,” said Sharma. My hero is Saju an arm-wrestler from the state of Kerala.

With a shine in his eyes Sharma said his family has been very supportive especially his elder brother Onkar Nath, who works as an HR in a private company in New Delhi. “I will surely bring laurels for my country,” said Sharma.

Sharma was given a cash reward of Rs 50,000 by the Lucknow SSP as a token of encouragement. Lucknow SSP Deepak Kumar said that schools and colleges must include sports in curriculum to encourage children who have sportive bent of mind.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / Schools & Colleges / TNN / November 11th, 2017