I have lost my eyesight but not my vision: Niket Dalal

It was in 2005, nearly 35 years after the Ironman competition began, that the first Indian successfully completed the endurance sport. Since then, several triathletes from the country have taken up the challenge and successfully completed it, too. But on February 7 this year, another Indian made history in endurance sports. "I could hear people shouting ‘India! India!’.There was an excitement in the air and it was amazing to hear foreigners cheering for me and my country," says Niket Dalal, recalling the final seconds of the competition in which he became the first visually-challenged Indian to not just participate, but successfully complete the Ironman Dubai 70.3.
Niket, 38, lost his eyesight to glaucoma five years ago. At that point, he was employed as a speech therapist in Aurangabad, his hometown, and had already won three medals in national level swimming. And after losing his sight to glaucoma, he was not even sure if he would be able to swim again, leave alone becoming a triathlete. But before to long, his will to persevere saw him dive back in the pool and even win three state medals.
Arham Shaikh (left) Niket Dalal and Chaitnya Velhal at Ironman Dubai 70.3
This perseverance of his, soon caught the eye of Pune-based ultratriathlete Chaitanya Velhal, who . "I meet Niket in 2018 during a marathon. He was extremely focused and had taken up cycling and had managed to complete the Manali to Khardungala cycling expedition in August 2019. We thought if we train him and focus on his running, he could be a fantastic triathlete," says Chaitanya, adding that with just a year's training Niket had become a triathlete. And after participating in a few national triathlons, he then chose to take up a bigger challenge.

"When it comes to endurance-based sports, there is hardly any representation of disabled Indian athletes on a global level. The first able-bodied Indian to complete an Ironman was Deepak Raj in 2005. But even 15 years later, there had been no participation of any disabled athlete there. I wanted to do this to prove that disability isn’t a hurdle - if we are given the opportunity and support, we can bring medals for the country too," says Niket, who is now determined to complete the full Ironman and drive his point home.
While his trainer Chaitanya gave him the opportunity, support for Niket, came in the form of his sighted ally, triathlete Arham Shaikh. A triathlon involves swimming, cycling and running, and differently abled athletes from across the world participate in pairs, along with sighted allies. At Ironman Dubai 70.3, Niket and Arham were tethered together when they swim in open sea water for 1.9 km. This was followed by a bike race, where the duo rode a tandem cycle for 90 kms and finally, a 21.1 km run, where they were connected at the waist by an ‘8’ shaped tube.

Here in Pune, it's not uncommon for Niket and Arham to receive strange glances as they run strapped to each other from Pimple Saudagar to Pune University Circle. And you can watch out for them along this route at around 5 am, as they have already begun preparing for Niket's next big target - the full Ironman which requires them to cycle 180.2 kms, run 42.2 kms and swim 3.8 kms. Back to work within just days of achieving his feat in Dubai, Niket says, "I have lost my eyesight but not my vision."
Pics: Gaurav Kadam