From rowing a Shikara at Dal Lake to paddling his way to national glory, Mohsin Ali Kand has come a long way. Mohsin made Jammu and Kashmir proud, winning the first gold medal of the Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025 on Thursday.
Seventeen-year-old Mohsin won gold in the 1000-metre men’s Kayaking event, clocking 4:12:717s. It was a career highlight for the youngster.
As Mohsin stepped out of Dal Lake, he was greeted by a jubilant home crowd, even as he failed to hold back tears of joy and hugged his coach Bilquis Mir, a former international and an Olympic judge.
It was an overwhelming moment for Mohsin, a 12th standard student of SP Higher Secondary School, who, to fulfil his dream of representing India at the international events, rows a Shikara on the Dal Lake after attending his school to earn money for buying his diet.
After clinching the gold, Mohsin, the son of a lower-middle-class carpenter, Fida Hussain Kand, said he had worked very hard for it and credited his success to his father.
“It was my father who was instrumental in me taking up water sports. The lanky Mohsin added that despite economic hardships and taking care of a five-member family, his father ensured that he developed a keen interest in water sports from a very young age,” Mohsin said as quoted from SAI Media.
“Water sports are my passion and I dream of representing India at the international level. To see my dreams actualise, I row a Shikara and share the burden of my family and buying the necessary diet that I require for training,” Mohsin said.
A resident of Kand Mohalla inside Dal Lake, who started his water sports journey as a seven-year-old, Mohsin said, apart from his father, he would also credit the Jammu and Kashmir Kayaking and Canoeing Association.
“They are also instrumental in my success as the association provided me with the necessary training and infrastructure,” he said.
Mohsin’s achievement is noteworthy, considering that, despite not participating in many national events, he emerged triumphant over other athletes with more experience and international exposure.
“It is very difficult for me to purchase the necessary diet for participating in such events as professional water sports athletes are supposed to have a protein-rich, carbohydrate-rich, electrolyte-rich diet, which I am not able to afford due to meagre means,” Mohsin said.
However, Mohsin did not let this come in his way of success and, with his strong determination, was able to overcome all the hurdles.
“The thing that really keeps me going is the burning desire to represent the country at international events like the Asian Games, World Championship and Olympics,” he said.
Mohsin believes that practising on the waters of Dal Lake in high-altitude Kashmir helps develop better stamina, which other athletes from across the country lack.
“Most of them come from the plains. So I have a strong feeling that if I continue to work hard the way I have, it is not far from now when I will represent the country in international events,” he said.
While rowing the Shikara after returning from school every day kept him humble, the gold medal at the Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025 can become the much-needed impetus that his career needs. (ANI)
