Scaling new challenges - A Climber's Olympic Dream
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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00:00My dream is to climb in the Olympics, but to perform on the big stage and climb at such
00:09events, you need more time, more effort, and there's more money involved.
00:14I don't come from a rich family, but I have this dream to achieve something in sports.
00:22He's short on money, but big on dreams.
00:25Deepu Malesh, a man trying to qualify for the Olympics, with no help from sponsors,
00:31but plenty of support from his climbing community.
00:50My name is Deepu.
00:51I'm from Bangalore, and I'm a full-time professional climber.
00:58I started climbing 12 years ago.
01:00My dream is to qualify for the Olympics and put India on the international climbing map.
01:06Deepu Malesh is one of the biggest names in the Indian climbing scene.
01:10Last season, he broke four national records and is now ranked 87th in the world, the highest
01:15ever for an Indian in speed climbing.
01:19Climbing is not well known in India.
01:22In my country, sport mostly means crickets.
01:31Facilities are very limited here, and climbing is only slowly developing.
01:35So wherever I can use facilities, I try to work in lowering my times.
01:41Deepu is currently training for the regional speed climbing competition.
01:49Here he needs to come first to enter the national round.
01:52If he gets a top three finish there, he can compete in the full international meet scheduled
01:57as Olympic qualifiers.
01:59So he still has a long way to go.
02:02But to perform on the big stage at events like that, you need more time, more effort.
02:07And there's more money involved.
02:10Money is the main problem, even if you're among the best in India.
02:14The climbing association and the state have only limited infrastructure and competition
02:19circuit to offer, while sponsors hesitate to invest in pros like Deepu because climbing
02:24has yet to take off.
02:29And besides limited resources, they also face an uphill struggle against social and family
02:34expectations.
02:38It's hard to explain to my parents what it is I do, and what the sport involves.
02:43They wonder why I'm doing it, and whether I can achieve anything.
02:58My family has often pressured me to give it up.
03:01They think there's nothing for me to gain from sports.
03:04They're afraid my career will suffer, and I won't be able to earn much from this.
03:12I've told them, OK, don't worry about it.
03:15One day I'll earn money and be in a better position.
03:20It's extremely rare in India for parents to allow their kids to pursue a career in sports.
03:25It's frustrating.
03:28Because only the rich can do that.
03:31And for special cases like me, it's very hard.
03:38People in India love their sporting heroes.
03:41And millions of Indian children take up sports.
03:44But by the time they're in their teens, there's a steep dropout rate.
03:47A lack of proper coaching, or a comprehensive sporting curriculum, and a disregard for sports
03:52as a viable career option are the main reasons behind the exodus.
03:56But there was no stopping Deepu.
04:02Maintain, maintain, maintain.
04:06Good.
04:07Despite showing tremendous potential on the Asian circuit,
04:10Deepu and his team struggled to raise funds for his international competitions,
04:14the only way to qualify for the Olympics.
04:17But amidst these financial challenges, a beacon of hope emerged.
04:26The tight-knit climbing community rallied to support Deepu.
04:32For his last competition, the Asian Qualifier in Jakarta,
04:36they collected and fundraised more than 2,400 euros within 24 hours.
04:44His fans had the faith, and he did not disappoint,
04:47finishing 15th among the best climbers in Asia.
04:50A triumph not only for him, but for the entire climbing community in India.
04:55But being sponsored by your friends and followers also means pressure not to let them down.
05:02While Deepu had a natural passion for climbing,
05:04the whole idea of being sponsored by the community was not his own.
05:13I have a mentor who I've been climbing with since I was a boy.
05:17His name is Gaurav.
05:19Seeing my climbing skills and performances at World Cups,
05:22he encouraged me to try for the Olympics.
05:25He reached out to the Indian climbing community.
05:28He posted a message about me wanting to compete at the Olympics.
05:31It started from there, and a lot of people came forward to help out.
05:44That really inspired me,
05:46that the Indian climbing community expect and want the sport to grow here.
05:50If I reach the Olympics, the sport will naturally develop here.
05:54The government will surely help to build better facilities.
05:57You'd have a lot of young people taking sports climbing to further heights.
06:05But until then, Deepu has to rely on his community,
06:08who not only support him financially,
06:11but also provide motivation and training assistance,
06:14and simply believe in him.
06:20I'll go this, and then I can go to that.
06:23As rare as finding an athlete who is passionate,
06:26it's equally rare to find a community that supports them.
06:30There's so much passion seen in Deepu.
06:33They know that this one person can lead,
06:35can hold the torch and lead us in front.
06:39It doesn't happen in every sport.
06:41I don't feel there is such a big community who is passionate,
06:45and which has helped the athlete by themselves.
06:49It's super rare.
06:51Exercise, no?
06:52All the add-ups that...
06:55That's why you become like this. That's why you become so strong.
06:59And push.
07:03And push.
07:05Rest.
07:06Take 30 seconds break, and we'll start.
07:10In the hallowed walls of a climbing gym,
07:12Deepu finds more than just a training ground.
07:15He finds a family and a support system
07:17that understands the unique struggles he faces.
07:22Together, they share triumphs and shoulder defeats,
07:26creating bonds that transcend the competition.
07:35But right now, the regional speed climbing competition is approaching.
07:39Time for some final strength training,
07:42and of course, mental preparation.
07:51Hello, and welcome to the South Dome Sport Climbing Competition
07:54here in Bangalore, where we get to find out
07:56who will progress on to the nationals round
07:58that's happening later on this month.
08:11Speed climbing is the most dynamic
08:13and impressive to watch of the sports Olympic disciplines.
08:18But it's not the sole focus here.
08:21Most of the athletes know each other,
08:23so it's like a big family reunion.
08:26The community among itself.
08:31And the huge support for Deepu
08:33makes it like a home game for him.
08:39Sports climbing is not what I'm used to.
08:41It's not what I'm used to.
08:44Sports climbing is not well known in India.
08:47That's why people have come here to support me.
08:50So I think I'm ready for the competition.
08:52I'll try my best.
08:54The crowd will be cheering for me to win.
08:56Let's see what happens.
09:04Deepu holds the national record of 5.887,
09:08and in the past year, he has broken the national record
09:11a total of four times.
09:13So earlier this year, he broke the national record to 6.59.
09:16From 6.59, he went to 5.98.
09:19From 5.98 to 5.94.
09:22And most recently, at the Asian qualifiers,
09:25he got a 5.887.
09:28That's insane.
09:32Speed climbing might look straightforward enough.
09:34You have to scale the 15-metre wall as quickly as possible.
09:39The route is always the same, so the athletes can prepare.
09:43Climbers like Deepu have practised this path so often
09:47that muscle memory takes over on competition day.
09:54That was thrilling.
09:55That was fast, yeah.
10:00Deepu made it to the final.
10:02Now it's just about focusing,
10:04going through all the movement sequences over and over again.
10:13Yeah, so all eyes on Deepu right now, you know,
10:16as the speed climber who everybody has been watching the past year.
10:24And then, handing over control to his body and muscles.
10:30Both of them are just flying up.
10:35Deepu with 6.25 seconds.
10:38First position to Deepu.
10:44I think it was Deepu's competition to lose,
10:47and he's just proved to himself and to everybody
10:50that he's been working hard, we can all see it.
10:56Deepu has made it to the next national competition,
10:59one more step to the Olympics,
11:01thanks to his passion and the power of his community.
11:05His success ensures the community's investment in him is rewarded.
11:12More budding athletes are getting involved in climbing because of him.
11:19One more decent performance at the nationals in a couple of weeks
11:22and the dream will edge one step closer.
11:26If Deepu makes it to the Olympics,
11:28the enthusiasm is going to be much bigger.
11:32But for now?
11:36My training starts again from tomorrow.
11:38The journey doesn't stop here.
11:40I'm now focusing on the bigger competitions I have lined up.
11:43So I'm starting my preparations.