Ram Baboo is an Indian track and field athlete. He participated in the 2022 Asian Games and won a bronze medal in the team 35-kilometer race walking event. Although he worked as a daily wage worker and waiter in a hotel, he still insisted on physical training and thus gained more recognition.
Wiki/Biography
Ram Baboo was born on Saturday, March 20, 1999 (24 years old; as of 2023) in Bahuara village, Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Her zodiac sign is Pisces. He went to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Sonbhadra. In 2021, he started studying at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh. In an interview, he revealed that he had no interest in studying at school. He used to participate in all kinds of sports and was not tired even after running for a long time. He said that it was the 2012 Olympic Games that made him take action towards his dream of a sports career. He said,
I’m not good at studies and I’m not interested, so I want to pursue a career in sports. I was in seventh grade then and I saw people like Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar and Jagan Narang winning medals on the TV in my school hostel. The next day, the stories also appeared on the front page of the newspaper, and I read them all. In fact, I’ve been cutting out newspaper articles and photos of the 2012 Olympic medal winners and saving them in my folder. ”
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′4″
Weight (approximately): 60kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
He was born in a lower-class family of Bhairavagandhi Tola in Bhavara village.
Parents and siblings
His father, Chhote Lal, is a manual laborer and earns Rs 3,000-3,500 per month. His mother Meena Devi is a housewife. Ram Babu had three sisters; two of his sisters were married and the youngest sibling was named Suman.
Ram Babu and his parents
Ram Baboo with his sister and mother
wife
He is unmarried.
Profession
After completing his studies, he became a professional athlete. Before becoming a race walker, he was a marathon runner. He had run 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter marathons and suffered from knee pain. Local coach Pramod Yadav suggested he try race walking, which would not put pressure on his knees. In 2017, he went to Varanasi and started proper track and field training under coach Chandrabhahan Yadav. Later, he started training at SAI Bhopal, where he hired a coach to train him. In 2019, he participated in the 50-km race walking event in the 6th National Open Race Walking Championships held in Chennai. In February 2020, he finished fourth in the 50-km race walking event at the 7th National Race Walking Championships in Ranchi.
Ram Baboo during the 50km race walk at the 7th National Race Walking Championships 2020
In February 2021, he won a silver medal in the 50-km race walking at the 8th National Race Walking Championships in Ranchi and entered the Army Sports Academy in Pune with the help of coach Basant Rana.
Ram Baboo and his coach Basant Rana
In 2021, after World Athletics removed the 50km event from its programme, Ram Babu decided to switch from 50km to 35km. In September 2021, he won the gold medal in the 35-km race walking event at the 60th National Athletics Open in Warangal, Telangana, with a time of 2 hours, 46 minutes and 30 seconds. A few months later, he was invited to the national camp in Bangalore. In April 2022, he won second place in the 35-km race walking event at the 9th National Race Walking Championships in Ranchi. In October 2022, he won the gold medal at the 61st National Track and Field Open in Bangalore and set a national record of 2 hours, 39 minutes and 5 seconds. In December 2022, he broke his own national record in the men’s 35-kilometer race walking competition at the 36th National Games in Gujarat, with a time of 2 hours, 36 minutes and 34 seconds.
After winning the gold medal at the 2022 National Games, he got a job with the Indian Army even though he was 11 months older than the eligibility criteria. Later he was promoted to Havildar. In February 2023, he broke his own record for the third time at the 10th National Race Walking Championships with a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes and 36 seconds. In 2023, he once again broke his national record with a time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 56 seconds in the Dudinska 50-mile men’s 35-kilometer race. He prepared for many domestic and international competitions including the 19th Asian Games under the guidance of coach Tatyana Sibyreva.
Ram Baboo and his coach Tatiana Sibileva
Selected for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in 2023. He participated in the inaugural 35km mixed team race along with Manju Rani. Their total time was 5 hours, 51 minutes and 14 seconds, winning a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games.
medal
- The 8th National Race Walking Championship (2021) Silver Medal in the 50-Kilometer Race Walking Event
Ram Baboo after winning silver medal at 8th National Race Walking Championship 2021
- Gold medal in the 35-kilometer race walking event at the 60th National Track and Field Championships (2021)
- Silver medal in the 35-kilometer race walking event of the 9th National Race Walking Championships (2022)
Ram Baboo after winning silver medal at 9th National Race Walking Championship 2022
- Gold medal in the 35-kilometer race walking event at the 61st National Track and Field Open (2022)
- Gold medal in the 35-kilometer race walking event at the 36th National Games (2022)
Ram Babu wins gold medal at 36th National Games
- Gold medal in the 35-kilometer race walking event of the 10th National Race Walking Championships (2023)
- Bronze medal in 35km race walking mixed team at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China (2023)
Congratulations to Ram Baboo and Manju Rani for bringing glory to India by winning the bronze medal in the 35km race walking mixed team event. This would not have been possible without the immense endurance and determination displayed by these incredible athletes. pic.twitter.com/IYiZ4Ectnz
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 4, 2023
Facts/Trivia
- While he was training in Varanasi, his father used to send him some money; however, it was not enough. So he started working as a waiter in a hotel to pay the rent and take care of food. In an interview, he said of his experience as a waiter,
My monthly salary as a waiter is 3,000 rupees, but they make me work till midnight or even 1 am. I have to get up at 4am to go to the stadium to train. This is very difficult for me. People disrespect me and behave badly towards me. So I left Varanasi and returned home. ”
- He returned home from SAI Bhopal during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. He and his family had no money or jobs, and it was difficult to survive. He revealed in an interview that after the Indian government launched the MGNREGA program, he worked with his father for a month and a half. After saving some money, he returned to SAI Bhopal to continue training. He said,
Fortunately, we got a job under the MGNREGA scheme and I helped my father in digging holes during road construction work. One can get Rs 300 to Rs 400 per day, depending on the workload. ”
He is Ram Baboo, who worked as a laborer and waiter at MGNREGS.He won the bronze medal today #Asian Games 35km race walking mixed team event. Talk about determination and courage. pic.twitter.com/HFB6s8AUZj
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) October 4, 2023
- After winning the bronze medal in the 19th Asian Games, many people got inspired after hearing Ram Babu’s success story and one of them was Anand Mahindra. On October 14, 2023, Anand Mahindra took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and offered his family any tractor or pickup truck of their choice.
Daily wage workers are Asian Games medalists. Unstoppable courage and determination.Please give me his contact number @thebetterindia I wanted to support his family by providing them with any tractor or pickup truck they wanted. pic.twitter.com/ivbI9pzf5F
— Anand Mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 14, 2023
- In a 2023 interview, Baboo mentioned his decision to transition from the 35km race walk to the 20km race walk starting next season, citing the unpredictability of the mixed team event, where the combination of men’s and women’s times determines medal outcomes. He said,
You never know, my colleague (a female race walker) might have a bad day, she might be sick and still participate, or she might be disqualified from the race. All this is out of my hands. Therefore, I will participate in the 20-kilometer race starting next year. ”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education