Rising From the Ashes – Harmilan Bains

“The Secret of getting ahead is getting started.” A 22-year-old Indian runner has sportsmanship in her blood but was never inclined towards this career choice. She was just a regular girl during her childhood days. She loved to play any game and spend time with kids of her age. 

Interest towards Sport 

Her father, Amandeep Bains, who is her sole motivator, pushed her towards this field. She was never interested in sports but loved bunking classes to play. She wanted to build her career in traveling or as a fashion blogger. 

Initial Journey 

Sai Training Centre, Dharamshala, was her first training ground. Running was always in her genes, but she never thought of pursuing this as a career. Her father left her at Sai Training Center Dharamshala for training without knowing that it was a three-month camp. When her dad left her, it was an emotional moment for both of them. But soon, she grew a deep interest and passion for running. She quickly won medals in juniors categories at both the events in 1500m at Junior Asian qualifiers. Her life-changing win came in 2016 when she won gold in the University Games in 1500 m. 2015 was a significant year for her because she participated in several prestigious events and won various of them. 

Biggest Setback 

Her career took to a halt when she had to deal with a life-threatening knee injury in 2016. She remembers that even the doctors also cautioned her not to play beyond 2-3 years. That was a challenging time for her as she realized that this could be the end of her career. Many people also commented on her by saying that since she earned it quite soon in her junior career, thus it would be nearly impossible to make it big for senior levels. She lost almost six months of her career and was even unable to run. But with her sheer dedication and will power, the champion bounced back. Somehow she picked herself up and took part in the 2018 Senior Federation cup and got the gold medal and then repeated the same feat in 2019.

Support System 

She credits her parents to be her main support system. Both of her parents are prestigious medal holders, and she thanks them for their constant belief in her.

Personal Journey 

Harmilan is a target based person, and she believes that this is what keeps her moving. Her favorite sports personality is Sydney Mclaughlin. 

Routine 

Harmilan is an early riser. Her day begins at 3:45 AM, and she practices till 7:30 AM. Post that, she takes her breakfast and then time for a power nap till 1 PM. Then she wakes up, has her lunch, and time for studies. In the evening, she again practices from 4:30 – 7 PM. She bids goodbye to the day with her dinner and finishes with some digital entertainment time. 

Harmilan – In a nutshell 

Harmilan is a young girl who has made it big in her sports career. When asked what she would advise young athletes, she said that makes your journey count much more than your years. Give it your best shot; it doesn’t matter if it’s a short career. Personally, Harmilan is a believer in endurance workout much more than a speed workout. She loves listening to Punjabi Singer Sidhu Moose Wala songs. She is extremely thankful to her coach Suresh Saini, a motivator and positive inspiration in her life.

Future Endeavours 

Harmilan is hopeful to participate and represent India in several tournaments. She also has her eyes set on the Olympics. Even during Pre Covid times, she was practicing very hard and was sure that she would qualify for the Olympics. But then the pandemic happened and made her Olympics plans pause.