Berhampur: The mere mention of the word ‘bodybuilding’ brings in mind the picture of bulky men and women pumping iron, having protein shakes and showing off their well-sculptured body. Breaking this very stereotype is Gadadhar Sahoo with his steely determination.
When young Gadadhar lost both of his legs in a terrible train accident, it almost destroyed him. Having just entered the rebellious teenage years, he had been looking forward to achieving something in his life and the tragic accident in Gujarat squeezed out the hope in him.
Soon he was back with his brother, or in his own words his prime motivator, to their home in Narendrapur village of Seragada in Ganjam district. “Since I always had a passion for physical fitness, my brother motivated me to work out and fight my depression instead of blaming my luck. I started watching videos and learnt to work out on my own. In 2015, I went on to win a gold medal at the junior level of Mr Odisha.”
Even though the win was a huge boost to Gadadhar’s confidence, weak financial conditions stopped him from following his dreams. Youngest of seven siblings and having lost his parents, Gadadhar decided to instead help out his brother at his fast food outlet.
Four years passed by when lady luck once again shined on him.
While assisting his brother in his stall, Gadashar met his future trainer Dilip Kumar Mishra. Dilip, in turn, was supremely impressed by his soon-to-be ward and implored him to drop by his gym. After much pursuance by his constant support of a brother, Gadadhar obliged.
“I was impressed by his endurance and physical strength despite having lost both his legs. But initially, he was intimidated by people working out in the gym but we motivated him to go ahead,” says Dilip.
One year later the young bodybuilder went on to win the title of Ganjam Shri 2020 with eyes on a gold medal at both state and national level championships.
“What started as me motivating him to follow his passion has in turn become a motivation for several others including me. Every single day Gadadhar proves what wonders grit and determination can do,” says Dilip beaming with pride.
Bodybuilding is a costly affair with maintenance of diet and supplements. Both Gadadhar and Dilip hope that the Government can help with the former’s financial situation. Referring to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s push for the growth of sports in the State, Gadadhar made a special appeal to CM with a vow to bring laurels for the State.