This 24-year-old athlete, Havildar Bugatha Srinu, was introduced to running after he joined the Army in the year 2010. He has won 80 medals in just two years. He recently won the Hyderabad 10K, and was around three minutes short from breaking the world record for 10 km (10,000 metres). He is currently posted at the Artillery Centre, Golconda, Hyderabad.
Srinu says, “I never took part in any running competitions till I joined the MEG Centre, Bangalore. My coach Subedar Rajendran recognised my talent and brought me here for training. I am training at the Makhan Singh Stadium under Subedar Amrish Kumar and follow a rigorous training schedule.” Srinu also won gold at the annual marathon run at Bhopal, where he finished the 21k run (half marathon) in 1:03:43, which is four minutes short of the 21k world record. “The road marathons are not counted by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Our coaches record it for training purposes. But I like it when people walk up to me to say that I was about to break the world record, at the same time I feel bad that I couldn’t break it despite being so close,” says Srinu.
Srinu’s Officer-in Charge, feels he has a lot of potential. “He is our star sportsman. We have all the facilities and a dedicated coach for him here, and with the kind of effort that Srinu puts in his practice sessions, I am sure he would qualify for the 2024 Olympics,” he says. Srinu comes from a humble background. “I was born and brought up in a small village, Bangaramapeta in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh. My father is a farmer and didn’t have much income. I had to walk 5 to 6 km daily to go to school. There are no proper roads or electricity there. No one from the village was engaged in any kind of sports, so I didn’t have the exposure to running as a sport. At that time, I didn’t even know about Olympics.”
Like any other 24-year-old, Srinu loves watching movies. He is a huge fan of Pawan Kalyan. Although Srinu is mostly busy with his practice sessions and races, he still makes a point to write his diary daily. “I like to keep a record of all that my coach teaches me. So, every night before I go to sleep, I pen down all the important points or tips he has given me on that particular day,” he says.
Talking about his Olympic goal, Srinu says, “Firstly, I want to be in the 2024 Olympic’s Indian squad. That is my aim right now. I would like to race against Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, who is currently the world record holder for men’s 10k (10,000 metres) track and beat him.” It is hard to miss the striking similarities between Srinu’s life and that of another Olympian Milkha Singh. He too came from a remote village, with no knowledge of running or Olympics, and joined the Army before bringing many laurels home. One wonders if, with so many astounding coincidences, Bugatha Srinu is another Milkha Singh in the making.
