I
n December2018,RavijaSingal,
a 19-year-oldresidentofNashik,
becametheyoungestAsianwoman
towintheIronmantitleinBusselton,
Australia.TheAustralianIronman
is anannualtriathloncoveringa distanceof
3.86kminswimming,180.2kmincycling,
anda fullmarathonof 42 kmrunningalong
theAustralianEastCoast.Anyonecansignup
forit onap.ironman.com.TheBApsychology
studentfromHPTCollegeinNashik,won
thetitleinhersecondattempt.Sheis
extraordinarilytalented,andshowedsheer
perseveranceanddeterminationtowin.Over
totheyoungsportsperson.Howdoyoufeelbeingtheyoungest
Asianwomantowinthetitle?
Extremelyblessed!Andthefactthateveryone
wantstoknowmystoryis amazing.I believe
thatit’smoreabouttheentireprocessratherthan only about what happened on the day of
the race. Growing up, I always looked up to
my dad (police commissioner Ravinderkumar
Singal, French Ironman 2019 title holder) and
being on the same podium as him makes me
feel immensely grateful.At what age did you start participating
in competitive sports?
My dad started me with swimming when I was
just three years old. Since then, my younger
brother and I have been exploring various
sports. It was in my fifth or sixth standard
when I started training for competitive sports.
What I’ve learnt is that you require a lot of
discipline to get where you want to be. You
need to eat properly and maintain your body.
The game requires a lot of sacrifice.Swimming, running, or cycling—which
one is your weakest link?
Running was my biggest problem. You see,
swimmers don’t usually run and runners
don’t swim. I had to develop an appropriate
technique and learn how to control my breath.
I had to run in a way that wouldn’t damage myWOMAN
OF
METAL
“I HAD TO
DEVELOP AN
APPROPRIATE
TECHNIQUE
AND
LEARN HOW TO
CONTROL MY
BREATH.”REALITY interview
Ravija Singal, the youngest Asian
woman to bag the Ironman Australia
title, talks to Arya Chatterjee about
her training, goals, and how letting go
of negativity is the key to success