Deepu Mallesh, one of Asia’s best speed climbers, dreams of taking part in the Olympics. But for an Indian who wasn’t born into a rich family that’s an almost impossible dream. Sponsors hesitate to invest in athletes like Deepu. But the tight-knit climbing community rallied to support him via crowdfunding. Now Deepu is not only fighting for himself but for the development of climbing in India.
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00:00 My dream is to climb in the Olympics, but to perform on the big stage and climb at such
00:09 events you need more time, more effort and there's more money involved.
00:14 I don't come from a rich family, but I have this dream to achieve something in sports.
00:22 He's short on money, but big on dreams.
00:25 Deepu Malesh, a man trying to qualify for the Olympics, with no help from sponsors,
00:31 but plenty of support from his climbing community.
00:50 My name is Deepu, I'm from Bangalore and I'm a full-time professional climber.
00:58 I started climbing 12 years ago.
01:00 My dream is to qualify for the Olympics and put India on the international climbing map.
01:06 Deepu Malesh is one of the biggest names in the Indian climbing scene.
01:10 Last season he broke four national records and is now ranked 87th in the world, the highest
01:15 ever for an Indian in speed climbing.
01:18 But…
01:20 Climbing is not well known in India.
01:22 In my country, sport mostly means cricket.
01:31 Facilities are very limited here and climbing is only slowly developing.
01:35 So wherever I can use facilities, I try to work on lowering my times.
01:40 Deepu is currently training for the regional speed climbing competition.
01:49 Here he needs to come first to enter the national round.
01:53 If he gets a top three finish there, he can compete in the full international meets scheduled
01:57 as Olympic qualifiers.
01:59 So he still has a long way to go.
02:03 But to perform on the big stage at events like that, you need more time, more effort.
02:08 And there's more money involved.
02:11 Money is the main problem, even if you're among the best in India.
02:15 The climbing association and the state have only limited infrastructure and competition
02:20 circuit to offer, while sponsors hesitate to invest in pros like Deepu because climbing
02:25 has yet to take off.
02:28 And besides limited resources, they also face an uphill struggle against social and family
02:35 expectations.
02:40 It's hard to explain to my parents what it is I do and what the sport involves.
02:45 They wonder why I'm doing it and whether I can achieve anything.
02:59 My family has often pressured me to give it up.
03:02 They think there's nothing for me to gain from sports.
03:05 They're afraid my career will suffer and I won't be able to earn much from this.
03:10 I've told them, "OK, don't worry about it.
03:15 One day I'll earn money and be in a better position."
03:21 It's extremely rare in India for parents to allow their kids to pursue a career in sports.
03:26 It's frustrating.
03:29 Because only the rich can do that.
03:32 For special cases like me, it's very hard.
03:39 People in India love their sporting heroes.
03:41 And millions of Indian children take up sports.
03:44 But by the time they're in their teens, there's a steep dropout rate.
03:48 A lack of proper coaching or a comprehensive sporting curriculum and a disregard for sports
03:53 as a viable career option are the main reasons behind the exodus.
03:57 But there was no stopping Deepu.
04:09 Despite showing tremendous potential on the Asian circuit, Deepu and his team struggled
04:14 to raise funds for his international competitions, the only way to qualify for the Olympics.
04:19 But amidst these financial challenges, a beacon of hope emerged.
04:29 The tight-knit climbing community rallied to support him.
04:32 For his last competition, the Asian Qualifier in Jakarta, they collected and fundraised
04:38 more than 2,400 euros within 24 hours.
04:45 His fans had the faith, and he did not disappoint, finishing 15th among the best climbers in
04:50 Asia.
04:51 A triumph not only for him, but for the entire climbing community in India.
04:56 But being sponsored by your friends and followers also means pressure not to let them down.
05:02 While Deepu had a natural passion for climbing, the whole idea of being sponsored by the community
05:07 was not his own.
05:14 I have a mentor who I've been climbing with since I was a boy.
05:18 His name is Gaurav.
05:19 Seeing my climbing skills and performances at World Cups, he encouraged me to try for
05:23 the Olympics.
05:25 He reached out to the Indian climbing community.
05:28 He posted a message about me wanting to compete at the Olympics.
05:32 It started from there, and a lot of people came forward to help out.
05:38 That really inspired me, that the Indian climbing community expect and want the sport to grow
05:50 here.
05:51 If I reach the Olympics, the sport will naturally develop here.
05:54 The government will surely help to build better facilities.
05:58 You'd have a lot of young people taking sports climbing to further heights.
06:06 But until then, Deepu has to rely on his community, who not only support him financially, but
06:11 also provide motivation and training assistance, and simply believe in him.
06:17 I'll go this, and then I can go to that.
06:25 As rare as finding an athlete who is passionate, it's equally rare to find a community that
06:30 supports them.
06:31 There's so much passion seen in Deepu.
06:34 They know that this one person can lead, can hold the torch and lead us in front.
06:40 It doesn't happen in every sport.
06:42 I don't feel there is such a big community who is passionate and which has helped the
06:48 athlete by themselves.
06:51 It's super rare.
06:52 All the add-ups that...
06:53 That's why you become like this.
06:54 That's why you become so strong.
06:55 And push.
06:56 Come on.
06:57 And push.
06:58 Rest.
06:59 You're back there.
07:00 Take a 30-second break, and we'll start.
07:10 In the hallowed walls of a climbing gym, Deepu finds more than just a training ground.
07:16 He finds a family and a support system that understands the unique struggles he faces.
07:24 So they share triumphs and shoulder defeats, creating bonds that transcend the competition.
07:36 But right now, the regional speed climbing competition is approaching.
07:40 And for some final strength training and, of course, mental preparation.
07:57 Hello and welcome to the South Zone Sport Climbing Competition here in Bangalore, where
08:01 we get to find out who will progress on to the nationals round that's happening later
08:12 on this month.
08:16 Speed climbing is the most dynamic and impressive to watch of the sports Olympic disciplines.
08:22 But it's not the sole focus here.
08:28 Most of the athletes know each other, so it's like a big family reunion.
08:33 The community among itself.
08:38 And the huge support for Deepu makes it like a home game for him.
08:46 Sports climbing is not well known in India.
08:49 That's why people have come here to support me.
08:51 So I think I'm ready for the competition.
08:53 I'll try my best.
08:55 The crowd will be cheering for me to win.
08:57 Let's see what happens.
09:05 Deepu holds the national record of 5.887.
09:09 And in the past year, he has broken the national record a total of four times.
09:13 So earlier this year, he broke the national record to 6.59.
09:17 From 6.59, he went to 5.98.
09:20 From 5.98 to 5.94.
09:22 And most recently at the Asian qualifiers, he got a 5.887.
09:29 That's insane.
09:32 Speed climbing might look straightforward enough.
09:35 You have to scale the 15-meter wall as quickly as possible.
09:41 The route is always the same, so the athletes can prepare.
09:45 Climbers like Deepu have practiced this path so often that muscle memory takes over on
09:49 competition day.
09:55 That was thrilling.
09:56 That was fast, yeah.
10:01 Deepu made it to the final.
10:03 Now it's just about focusing, going through all the movement sequences over and over again.
10:14 So all eyes on Deepu right now.
10:18 He's the speed climber who everybody has been watching the past year.
10:25 And then handing over control to his body and muscles.
10:28 Deepu, come on, Deepu!
10:31 Both of them are just flying up.
10:35 Deepu with 6.25 seconds.
10:38 First position to Deepu.
10:41 I think it was Deepu's competition to lose, and he's just proved to himself and to everybody
10:50 that he's been working hard.
10:51 We can all see it.
10:52 Deepu has made it to the next national competition, one more step to the Olympics, thanks to his
11:02 passion and the power of his community.
11:06 This success ensures the community's investment in him is rewarded.
11:14 More budding athletes are getting involved in climbing because of him.
11:20 One more decent performance at the nationals in a couple of weeks and the dream will edge
11:24 one step closer.
11:27 If Deepu makes it to the Olympics, the enthusiasm is going to be much bigger.
11:34 But for now?
11:37 My training starts again from tomorrow.
11:39 The journey doesn't stop here.
11:41 I'm now focusing on the bigger competitions I have lined up.
11:44 So I'm starting my preparations.
11:48 What are sports all about?
12:05 Winning?
12:06 Fighting?
12:07 Scoring?
12:08 We say they're about never giving up.
12:17 The most exciting sports stories about people, their passions and their drive.
12:24 Sports Life, every weekend on DW.
12:28 (whooshing)