Bendre, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu\u2019s star Pencak Silat athlete, was looking forward to defending his Tanding gold on home turf at the Khelo India Beach Games 2026 when a last-minute revision to the weight categories meant he had to compete in a much higher weight category this year or opt out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With only 20 days left before the competition, Bendre had to move from the 40-45 kg to the 50-55 kg weight category, meaning he had to gain weight to compete against bigger and stronger opponents. But instead of giving up, the 23-year-old embraced the challenge and powered his way to a second successive gold medal in Tanding, this time beating Manipur\u2019s Rohit Meitei in the final at Ghoghla Beach in Diu.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBefore these Games, I was in Srinagar as part of a national camp, and on return, I found out that my normal weight category (40-45kg) won\u2019t be in KIBG 2026, and the Games were just 20 days away. I had no other choice but to take it in my stride and prepare for the next weight category. The only challenge was that my opponents were already stronger, since that could be their normal weight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI had to put on weight, and for that I mixed dates, bananas, figs, and many other ingredients to prepare my shake, which I started having twice daily. It isn\u2019t easy to put on so much weight in such a short span, but somehow I managed to get around 50-51kgs,\u201d Prasanna Bendre was quoted as saying by SAI Media on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Having already secured a silver medal earlier in the men\u2019s senior Tunggal event, Prasanna credited his coaches \u2014 Alexander and Philia Thomas \u2014 for encouraging him to trust his technique as he stepped up in weight during his Tanding final.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Prasanna, who has devoted over a decade to the sport, the journey into Pencak Silat began with a chance encounter with his coaches, an encounter that shaped his career.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting story. I used to go for tuition classes to their home when I was in Class 8, and then I got to know about their martial arts background. They had just shifted to Daman around that time, and were planning to set up the academy, and somewhere I found myself at the right place and at the right time. I was one of the first students to be enrolled at the Honour Academy, and I\u2019m grateful to my coaches for trusting in me,\u201d said Prasanna, who finished inside the top eight at the 2024 World Championships, held in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Prasanna, the trip to Abu Dhabi was another tale of struggle, as his father, employed with a private company, had to take a loan of almost a lakh and raise the remaining amount from well-wishers to fund his tour.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was difficult to manage financially. My father had to take a loan from the local moneylenders in Daman, and he\u2019s still repaying the debt. The rest of the amount was raised through a fundraiser from the Marathi community in Daman,\u201d said the younger of the two siblings in his family.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was the same case when I went to Dubai for the Asian Championship in 2023, where I came back with a bronze in the Tanding 40-45kg. But thankfully, we somehow managed to repay that debt,\u201d added Prasanna, who had also won a silver in the 2022 Asian Championship held in Kashmir.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was difficult to manage financially. My father had to take a loan from the local moneylenders in Daman, and he\u2019s still repaying the debt. The rest of the amount was raised through a fundraiser from the Marathi community in Daman,\u201d said the younger of the two siblings in his family.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMy father is retiring from his job next year, so I\u2019ll have to take up a job to support my family, so that\u2019s the focus for now,\u201d said Prasanna, who also serves as an assistant coach at the Honour Academy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n