Ram Baboo (Athlete) Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ram Baboo

• Ram Baboo is an Indian track athlete, who is known for competing in the 35 km race walk events. In 2023, she won a bronze medal in the team 35 km race walk event at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. His achievement gained widespread attention as he was training for athletics while working as a daily wage labourer and a waiter at a hotel.

• He belongs to a family with a weak financial background. His father, Chhote Lal, is a manual labourer and earns Rs 3000 to Rs 3500 per month. ^[1]Business Standard

• In an interview, he disclosed that he had no interest in academic studies during his school days, preferring to engage in various sports without feeling tired. He highlighted that the 2012 Olympics played a pivotal role in motivating him to pursue his dream of making a career in sports. He said,
  

  I was not good at studies and not interested also and so I wanted to make a career in sports. I was in class VII then and I watched at my school hostel television the likes of Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar and Gagan Narang winning medals. The stories also came out in newspaper front pages the next day, and I read all of them. In fact, I kept cuttings of the newspaper articles and photos of the 2012 Olympic medal winners and kept them in my folder.” ^[2]Business Standard

• After he completed his 12th standard, he became a professional athlete. In 2014, he started his career as a marathon runner.

• Before shifting to racewalking, he was a marathon runner who competed in the 5000m and 10000m marathons, leading to knee pain. Advised by a local coach, Pramod Yadav, Ram Baboo shifted to racewalking as it was gentler on the knees. ^[3]Business Standard

• In 2017, he began professional training for race walking in Varanasi under coach Chandrabahan Yadav.

• During his training in Varanasi, Ram Baboo’s father would send him some money; however, it was insufficient. So, to cover his living expenses, pay for rent, and maintain a proper diet, he started to work as a waiter at a hotel. In an interview, he shared his experiences of working as a waiter and said,
  

  I got Rs 3000 per month for working as a waiter but they made me work till midnight and even at 1 am. I had to get up at 4 am for training at the stadium. It was very difficult for me. People did not respect me and misbehaved with me. So I left Varanasi and returned home.” ^[4]Business Standard

  

  Ram Baboo as a waiter

• In 2019, he started his training at SAI Bhopal, where he requested a coach to train him as he didn’t have much money to pay for the training. ^[5]Business Standard

• In February 2019, he took part in the 50km race walk event at the 6th National Open Race Walking Championship in Chennai.

• He came fourth in the 50km race walk event at the 7th National Race Walking Championship held in Ranchi in February 2020.

• Amidst the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Ram Baboo returned home from SAI Bhopal. Faced with financial difficulties during that period, he and his family struggled without income or employment. In an interview, he revealed that they found relief when the Indian Government introduced the MGNREGA scheme. Under this scheme, he worked as a labourer alongside his father for about one and a half months. With the money saved from this job, he was able to resume his training at SAI Bhopal. He said,
  

  Luckily, we got work under the MGNREGA scheme and I helped my father in digging pits in road construction work. One person would get Rs 300 to 400 per day depending on the amount of work.” ^[6]Business Standard

He is Ram Baboo, who once worked as MGNREGS labour and waiter. Today he won bronze medal in #AsianGames in the 35km race walk mixed team. Talk about determination and grit. pic.twitter.com/HFB6s8AUZj

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) October 4, 2023

• In February 2021, he secured a silver medal in the 50km race walk at the 8th National Race Walk Championships in Ranchi, paving the way for his enrollment in the Army Sports Institute in Pune with the support of coach Basant Rana.
  

  Ram Baboo during the 50km race walk at the 8th National Race Walk Championships in 2021

• In 2021, Ram Baboo made the decision to transition from the 50km race walk to the 35km event following the removal of the 50km category from the World Athletics program.

• In September 2021, he achieved gold in the 35km race walk, setting a national record of 2 hours, 46 minutes, and 30 seconds at the 60th National Open Athletics Championship in Warangal, Telangana.

• After being invited to the Bengaluru national camp, he secured the second position in the 35km race walk at the 9th National Race Walk Championships in Ranchi in April 2022.

• In October 2022, he earned gold and established a new national record of 2 hours, 39 minutes, and 5 seconds in the 35km race walk event at the 61st National Open Athletics Championship in Bengaluru.

• In October 2022, he surpassed his own national record, completing the men’s 35km race walk in 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 34 seconds at the 36th National Games in Gujarat.
  

  Ram Baboo as the first athlete to reach the finish line in the men’s 35km race walk at the 36th National Games

• After securing gold at the National Games in 2022, Ram Baboo earned a position in the Indian Army, even though his age was 11 months more than the eligibility criteria. He was then promoted to the rank of havildar. ^[7]Business Standard

• In February 2023, he further improved his record, clocking 2:32:36 at the 10th National Race Walk Championships.

• Breaking his national record for the fourth time, he set a record of 2:29:56, finishing 5th in the men’s 35km event at the Dudinska 50 in 2023.
  

  Ram Baboo during the men’s 35km event at the Dudinska 50 in 2023

• Under the guidance of his coach Tatiana Sibileva, he prepared for various national and international competitions, including the 19th Asian Games.

• He was selected to represent India at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in 2023, participating in the inaugural 35km mixed team event alongside Manju Rani. Together, they achieved a combined time of 5 hours, 51 minutes, and 14 seconds, earning a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games.

• Following Ram Baboo’s bronze medal win at the 19th Asian Games, his inspirational success story touched many, including Anand Mahindra. On 14 October 2023, Anand Mahindra took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his admiration for Ram Baboo and extended an offer to provide Ram Baboo’s family with any tractor or pickup truck of their choice.

Daily wage worker to Asian Games Medallist. Unstoppable courage & determination. Please give me his contact number @thebetterindia I’d like to support his family by giving them any tractor or pickup truck of ours they want. pic.twitter.com/ivbI9pzf5F

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 14, 2023

• In a 2023 interview, Baboo revealed his choice to shift from the 35km to the 20km race walk starting from the next season. He mentioned the unpredictability of the mixed team event, where the combined timing of male and female competitors influences the medal results. He said,
  

  You never know, my colleague (a woman race walker) may not be able to do well on a particular day, she may be sick but still taking part or she may be disqualified during the competition. All these are not in my hands. So, I am shifting to a 20km event from next year.” ^[8]Business Standard