Speaking to IANS after his latest outing at the Ironman 70.3 Warsaw in Poland, where he clocked a personal best of 4 hours and 37 minutes, Ruhil shared his remarkable journey from injury to elite competition. \u201cIt was a good practice. I clocked my personal best time of 4 hours and 37 minutes,\u201d he said, fresh off the event in Warsaw, where temperatures and terrain posed a unique challenge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ruhil\u2019s path into triathlon wasn\u2019t conventional. His athletic beginnings were rooted in running, but recurring injuries and a subsequent knee surgery nearly derailed his aspirations. \u201cMy journey started with running, but I used to get injured frequently. Eventually, I had to undergo knee surgery. After that, I did rehab and still wanted to stay in sports, so I gave it one final shot. That\u2019s when I got into triathlon, in 2017.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The transition was anything but easy. Ruhil began with the Olympic distance format and quickly showed promise. His breakthrough came at the 2019 Ironman Goa, where he finished fifth in his age group, earning a qualification slot for the World Championship.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI trained hard, finished fifth in my category, and qualified. The Championship was supposed to take place in New Zealand in 2020, but COVID hit, and everything got postponed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Just as he was getting back on track, another setback came \u2014 this time, more serious. In 2021, while training for the Commonwealth Games trials in Finland, he was involved in a road accident. \u201cWhile I was riding, I got hit by a car. It was a major accident, and unfortunately, the trials were just a week away. I couldn\u2019t participate. I had to go through rehab for 5\u20136 months, including a month of complete rest. That phase was very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Ruhil\u2019s story is one of comebacks. In 2023, he finally competed in the World Championship in Finland, a milestone that brought him full circle. That year also saw him post his fastest timing yet at Warsaw, reaffirming his credentials as one of India\u2019s brightest triathlon talents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite his all-round improvement, Ruhil admits that swimming remains his toughest challenge, not for lack of effort, but due to infrastructural limitations in his hometown.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIn Delhi, we don\u2019t have access to open water. Cities like Pune and Mumbai have lakes, but we don\u2019t, so we have to train in pools. That\u2019s very different from open-water swimming.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIn open water, you need to look ahead to stay on course, and that\u2019s something we can\u2019t practice in pools. Plus, European races have water temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius. We\u2019re not used to that in India, and it makes things even more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Triathlon consists of three parts \u2014 swimming, cycling, and running. Ruhil believes that excelling in all three requires immense dedication, especially when training environments don\u2019t fully support the demands of the sport.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the Commonwealth and Asian Games out of reach for now \u2014 partly due to his accident and partly because Ironman formats aren\u2019t included in those competitions \u2014 Ruhil\u2019s current goals are sharply focused. \u201cMy target is to become India\u2019s fastest triathlete. I\u2019m also coaching athletes on the side, but competing remains my main focus.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He elaborates on the formats: \u201cTriathlon is part of the Olympics, but Ironman is a separate format. The Olympic triathlon distance includes 1500 metres of swimming, 40 km of cycling, and 10 km of running. Half Ironman \u2014 also known as 70.3 \u2014 includes 1.9 km swimming, 90 km cycling, and 21 km running. Ironman is a different category altogether. The Olympic distance is part of the Asian Games, but Ironman isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bharat had earlier trained for the shorter distances in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, but his accident rerouted his goals back toward Ironman. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m not aiming for the Asian Games. I\u2019m focusing on Ironman events. I have two races lined up \u2014 one in Germany in September and another in December.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As for funding, which is a critical concern in a self-driven sport like triathlon, Ruhil has had to bear much of the financial burden himself, especially early on. \u201cTriathlon is financially demanding. I had to cover most of the expenses myself in the beginning. But now, I have a sponsor who has supported me for the last three events.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His support system now includes a strength and conditioning coach based in Australia, and Ruhil also contributes to the sport by creating coaching content for aspiring athletes. \u201cI also work with a strength and conditioning coach based in Australia. Apart from competing, I make coaching videos for athletes as well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As for funding, which is a critical concern in a self-driven sport like triathlon, Ruhil has had to bear much of the financial burden himself, especially early on. \u201cTriathlon is financially demanding. I had to cover most of the expenses myself in the beginning. But now, I have a sponsor who has supported me for the last three events.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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