As often described, life is undeniably a big hurdle race wrought with obstacles at every point. No matter how hard you prepare or train yourself for it, the satisfying finish line of the great hurdle painfully extends with every milestone. And, the life of a budding athlete is no different, especially in a country like India.
The world of Indian sports has been witness to inspirational stories of prominent stars whose perseverance and sheer will to succeed propelled them from their humble origins to the pinnacle of the sport. Milkha Singh is a prime example in athletics, MS Dhoni in cricket, Deepika Kumari in archery and Mary Kom in boxing, amongst many others.
In this day and age, these stories of overcoming personal struggles can go a long way in boosting morale, notching up inspiration levels and giving people that very thing called hope to go that extra mile.
The latest story of Nisar Ahmed - who survived the worst to break new ground - is no different.
Channelling his anger and frustration into something more meaningful, Nisar found solace in athletics. He began running bare-foot in school competitions before his physical education teacher saw the potential in the scrawny boy and realised he needed proper training.
With limited funds at their disposal, Nisar's family didn't shy away from spending most of their monthly income on the needs of their son. Thereon, slowly and steadily, Nisar went on to excel in the field and bagged first-place finishes in national and school championships.
In November 2017, the youngster rewrote the under-16 national record in the 100 metres after clocking 10.85 seconds at the 33rd National Junior Athletics Championships. He also eclipsed the existing 200 metres mark of 22.11 seconds after recording the national best at 22.08 seconds.