Pencak Silat athlete Prasanna Bendre won his second successive Tanding gold at the Khelo India Beach Games despite a last-minute rule change forcing him to compete in a much higher weight category with just 20 days to prepare.
With just 20 days left for the competition, Prasanna had to move from 40-45 kg to 50-55 kg weight category, meaning he had to gain some weight to compete against bigger and stronger opponents, according to a release.
Overcoming a Last-Minute Hurdle
But instead of giving up, the 23-year-old embraced the challenge and powered his way to a second successive gold medal in Tanding, this time beating Manipur's Rohit Meitei in the final at the Ghoghla Beach in Diu.
"Before these Games, I was in Srinagar as part of a national camp, and on return I found out that my normal weight category (40-45kg) won't be in KIBG 2026, and the Games were just 20 days away. I had no other choice, but to take it in my stride, and prepare for the next weight category. The only challenge was my opponents were already stronger, since that could be their normal weight," Prasanna Bendre said.
"I had to put on weight, and for that I mixed dates, banana, fig and many other ingredients to prepare my shake, which I started having twice daily. It isn't easy to put on so much weight in such a short span but somehow I managed to get around 50-51kgs," Prasanna Bendre added.
A Journey Shaped by Coaches
Having already secured a silver medal earlier in the men's senior Tunggal event, Prasanna credited his coaches -- Alexander and Philia Thomas -- for encouraging him to trust his technique while stepping up in weight during his Tanding final.
For Prasanna, who has devoted over a decade to the sport, the journey into Pencak Silat began with a chance encounter with his coaches that shaped his career. "It's an interesting story, I used to go for tuition classes to their home when I was in Class 8, and then I got to know about their martial arts background. They had just shifted to Daman around that time, and were planning to set up the academy, and somewhere I found myself at the right place and at the right time. I was one of the first students to be enrolled at the Honour Academy, and I'm grateful to my coaches for trusting in me," said Prasanna, who finished inside the top eight at the 2024 World Championships, held in Abu Dhabi.
Financial Struggles and Family Support
For Prasanna, the trip to Abu Dhabi was in itself another tale of struggles, as his father, employed with a private company had to take a loan of almost a lakh and fundraise the rest of the amount from well-wishers to sponsor his tour.
"It was difficult to manage financially. My father had to take a loan from the local money lenders in Daman, and he's still repaying the debt. The rest of the amount was raised through a fundraiser from the Marathi community in Daman," said the younger of the two siblings in his family.
"It was the same case when I went to Dubai for the Asian Championship in 2023, where I came back with a bronze in the Tanding 40-45kg. But thankfully we somehow managed to repay that debt," added Prasanna, who had also won a silver in the 2022 Asian Championship held in Kashmir.
Balancing Academics and Future Aspirations
A Master's in Psychology from Madhav University in Rajasthan, Prasanna had to skip the 2025 National Championships in Lucknow due to his final examinations. With his academic commitments now behind him and another Khelo India gold secured, he is looking forward to focus on the sport and find a job to support his family.
"My father is retiring from his job next year, so I'll have to take up a job to support my family, so that's the focus for now," said Prasanna, who also serves as an assistant coach at the Honour academy. (ANI)
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