Jalandhar: Father and son team up for international glory

This is the inspiring story of a father-son duo. While Arihant Kumar, a wrestling coach with the sports department, trains young athletes, his 17-year-old son, Shriyansh, is rapidly rising as an emerging wrestling star.

Trained by his father, Shriyansh has already earned several accolades, including a silver medal in the 85 kg category at the 7th Men and Women Boxing Championship held in Uttar Pradesh from April 20 to 27.

Following his impressive performance, Shriyansh has been selected for Khelo India, which will take place in Bihar from May 9-15. He will also join the India Camp for the Asian Boxing Championship. “If he performs well, he will be selected for the Youth Asian Boxing Championship,” said Arihant in an interview with The Tribune.

Shriyansh’s journey into sports began when he was a child. “He showed an interest and I started taking him along because I wanted him to develop a passion for sports,” Arihant shared.

What stands out is that unlike most boys his age, Shriyansh doesn’t use a smartphone. “I want to stay focused and avoid distractions. I don’t need anything that can hinder my growth,” said the dedicated young wrestler.

Arihant, who now trains over 30 athletes, including 22 girls, shared that he started his own sports journey late in life. “It wasn’t until class 10 that I began training seriously. My father always wanted me to focus on academics and pursue a career in education. But when I trained under Dronacharya awardee Shiv Singh, I started winning championships. In 2016, I got a regular job in the sports department,” Arihant said, reflecting on his own career.

Now, Arihant has only one goal in his life – to see his son competing and winning in international championships like the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. “We practice for about five hours a day and we never skip any training. No matter what, the practice continues,” he said.

As Shriyansh prepares for the National camp, Arihant is keeping his fingers crossed, hoping his son performs well and clinches the Youth Asian Boxing Championship title. Shriyansh, for his part, is putting in the hard work, determined to fulfil his father’s dream.