Going to the USA on athletics scholarship was turning point of my sports career: Former triple jump national record holder Mohinder Singh Gill

India’s former national record holder in men’s triple jump, Mohinder Singh Gill's memories of winning back-to-back Commonwealth Games medals in early 1970’s are still very fresh.

Sitting miles away in California, USA, Gill could speak volumes on his journey to stardom over the phone. Going to the USA on an athletics scholarship was, in fact, a turning point in his sports career, he believes.

The Indian triple jumper reaped the benefits of competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition, saying it paid off in the long run.

“I went on to win five NCAA titles from 1968 to 1971. I also got the opportunity to compete in weekend competitions in the USA. All of this enabled me to improve my performance,” the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medalist told Sportskeeda.

Mohinder Singh Gill was the first Indian to compete at the NCAA. Discus thrower Vikas Gowda and high jumper Tejaswin Shankar are the other two Indians who were on athletics scholarships and competed in the NCAA competition.

Mohinder Singh Gill's career

Mohinder Singh Gill reached the zenith of his sporting career in 1971, setting an Indian triple jump record of 16.79m, which stood for more than three decades. It was broken eventually by Kerala’s Renjith Maheswary in 2010.

“It’s good to see Indian athletes dominating the triple jump event at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games,” Gill said over the phone from California.

The marathon conversation over the phone wasn’t enough to give a deep insight into the journey of an athlete who was on the verge of quitting the sport in 1968. He almost left the sport due to ill-treatment from those running the affairs of the national athletics body.

“I was denied a national record during the 1968 Indo-German meeting in New Delhi by the Indian officials,” Gill recalls. “I was very upset and wanted to quit athletics.”

However, timely advice from his uncle changed his mind. He decided to go ahead and avail the athletics scholarship in the USA.

“I met USA sprinter Tommie Smith during the 1967 World University Games in Tokyo. Smith was impressed with my performance and supported me to get enrolled for an athletics scholarship in the USA."

A year later, Smith went on to win the 200m gold at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games.

Mohinder Singh Gill's strained relations with sports bodies

While Mohinder Singh Gill received warm receptions in the USA and Europe during competitions, he didn’t enjoy a healthy relationship with his own country's national athletics body.

According to Gill, since officials of the national athletics body were also heading the sports department of the Indian Railways, it made matters worse. The officials were annoyed even more because the triple jumper rejected a job offer to work with the Indian Railways.

The animosity between him and those running the athletics organizations in India grew to the extent that he was denied an air ticket from the USA to New Zealand to compete at the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

Upset by the whole scenario, Gill called up the Prime Minister's office, requesting them to intervene.

“Good Luck. Make India Proud. You will get your ticket to New Zealand,” Gill claimed he got a warm response from the late PM Indira Gandhi.

The Indian triple jumper went on to win silver in New Zealand and became the first Indian athlete to win back-to-back medals at the Commonwealth Games. He had won bronze at the 1970 Games in Edinburgh.

Story of untapped potential

The former national record holder believes he could have gone further in his career, both metaphorically and literally.

"I could have crossed the 17m mark during my competitive days but missed that milestone," Gill said. “Some 50 years ago, there was a bare minimum of facilities in India. Young Indian athletes are getting better facilities these days. I’m happy they are winning medals at the international level.”

As far as physical conditioning is concerned, Mohinder Singh Gill reveals that he did a lot of strengthening exercises with barbells during his athletics career.

“I could do a half-squat with 500 pounds on the barbells,” the Commonwealth Games medalist said.

Gill’s best performance in his career was recorded in 1971 in California. His 16.79m mark stood as a national record for more than three decades.

During his sports career, the legend of Indian sports had the opportunity to get but rejected US citizenship as he wanted to represent his own country.

“I wanted to give my best to the nation where I was born,” Gill said, adding that he still has a passion for a healthy lifestyle and is physically fit. “I still spend my leisure hours at gymnasium hall,” he concluded.

While one can only imagine how much more this hero of Indian athletics could have achieved if he had the kind of support enjoyed by today's athletes, Gill can certainly be proud of having paved the path for future generations.