Maharashtra ice skater Sohan Tarkar makes a remarkable return to the sport after a six-year battle with depression, triggered by visa woes and the pandemic. With his mother's support, he overcame despair and has now qualified for the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
Often getting up after biting the dust is the most difficult thing in life, and Sohan Tarkar should be proud of himself for having pulled it off. The Maharashtra short-track ice skater had significant successes to speak of before depression pulled him down almost six years ago.
From Success to Despair
Tarkar started ice skating in 2010 and reached the 1500m semifinals of the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, in 2017. He has also qualified multiple times for the Junior World Championships. Twice, he has qualified for the Senior World Cups (Germany and Italy being the venues), but, unfortunately, on both occasions, he couldn't obtain the Schengen visa, according to a KIWG release.
Despondency and grief consumed him as a result. This was in the months before the COVID-19 outbreak. Then the pandemic made his situation worse. A lack of physical activity led to his gaining 20kg, which, mind you, could be very counter-productive in the sport. From having a ripped physique, Tarkar turned into a totally out-of-shape, unrecognisable person. A lack of motivation to boot made him sort of depressed. Things were so bad that in his mind, he had made up the decision not ice skate ever again.
The Road to Recovery
Tarkar's mother, Sonali, came to his rescue and, after much effort, persuaded him to give it another shot. The motherly words worked and he decided to change his life at last towards the end of 2023.
"I was really going down. I used to practise six hours every day to keep in shape. Pre-COVID, I weighed 58 kg, and just like that, I got up to 78kg. I had totally shut myself off in addition," he said, as per the release. "Following my mother's words, I went to Pune to get trained under Sameer Gole. This was 2023-end. After that, I went to the trials for the Asian Games, and I qualified for the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China. I weigh 65kg now, and I am still at it; I should get back to my pre-COVID weight soon. I am proud of myself to have come back from a world of despair," he said.
Resilience Over Medals
In the 2026 Khelo India Winter Games, the 29-year-old Tarkar has been a bit of a downer for one reason or another. In the 3000m relay, his team was disqualified, and in the 500m final, he was pushed from behind in an unfortunate incident, resulting in a "Did Not Finish" status.
However, it's not so much his medals and successes that one needs to learn from. It's actually his resilience after the bout of depression that one can learn a lot from. "I have realised that no matter how fast you are, it doesn't necessarily always translate to medals. One also requires a lot of luck to win. I have reconciled with that. It doesn't bother me anymore. I am happy to be back on the rink, and I am thankful to god for that," the Mumbaikar concluded.
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