Amlan Borgohain has a simple philosophy when it comes to running. Don’t think too much about conditions or anything. Just run fast.
The 23-year-old from Assam did just that to stop the clock at 10.38s at the IIT Gandhinagar athletics track to clinch the men’s 100m gold and win the mantle of the fastest man of the 36th national games on October 1.
The current national record holder had registered a timing of 10.28s in the semifinals and though he could not improve on that performance he was more than happy.
“You know, it’s like a stage show, sometimes you perform, sometimes you don’t,” he smiled.
Speaking with amazing clarity and a sense of honour, Amlan Borgohain said he doesn’t think of anything when he is running. “In those few seconds, there is no time to think. You simply focus on executing your game plan,” he explained, revealing that the only thing he concentrated on was his posture.
Amlan Borgohain said the hot conditions didn’t enter his mind even once. “I don’t think about it much. It is the same for everyone, isn’t it? In the All-India Railway competition, I ran at 2 pm in similar weather conditions and clocked 10.25 seconds. So, I am experienced in this kind of weather,” he smiled.
Amlan Borgohain is officially the fastest man in the country!
Congratulations to all the Medalists of the Men’s 100m event.
AMLAN BORGOHAIN (Assam) 🥇
ELAKIYADASAN V K (Tamil Nadu)🥈
SIVA KUMAR B (Tamil Nadu) 🥉#36thNationalGames @Media_SAI @sagofficialpage @IndiaSports pic.twitter.com/iIttRdh02s— National Games Gujarat (@Nat_Games_Guj) October 1, 2022
Incidentally, he had broken the national record in Rae Bareli that time and feels that his performance may inspire many youngsters to take up athletics in the Northeast.
“We have many footballers, weightlifters and boxers and now we are not so bad in athletics either,” he said.
Amlan Borgohain also took this opportunity to highlight the sacrifices his family had made to help him make a career in athletics and said he was happy he could deliver.
“You see this,” he said, pointing to his arm on which he had tattooed ‘maa’. “I was in Odisha and was thinking of my mother and simply went and got this inscribed on myself,” he revealed, confirming that he didn’t tell his mom before getting it done.
Asked how much faster he could go in the coming years, he refused to spell out his target and insisted that the sky was the limit for him.
“I don’t put limits on myself. I just work hard and wherever God takes me, I go. If it comes, it comes. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter,” he said philosophically.
Clearly, the sky is the limit for this humble man, the fastest man at the national games.
A few minutes later, Andhra Pradesh’s Jyothi Yarraji stunned a star-studded field, including Dutee Chand and Hima Das, to win the women’s 100m gold in a thrilling race.