Olympian Rajeev Balakrishnan’s noble gesture to help former national-level athlete in his fight against cancer

A friend in need is a friend indeed. This adage perfectly suits Rajeev Balakrishnan, who represented India at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

In a noble gesture, former Indian Olympian Rajeev Balakrishnan has donated INR 50,000 to Ashish Umaraskar, who is now battling for life as he is suffering from blood cancer.

During his school and college days, both Rajeev and Ashish trained together in Nagpur. Rajeev, after doing his graduation in engineering from Nagpur University, went to the United States on a sports scholarship to do masters before settling in Brisbane, Australia.

When Rajeev heard about Ashish and his dreaded illness, he decided to extend a helping hand to his childhood junior training partner.

Umaraskar, a former national-level athlete from Nagpur who once dominated the track, is now suffering from blood cancer.

Umaraskar won many medals representing Nav Maharashtra's Krida Mandal in the late nineties while participating in several inter-school and inter-college competitions. He also won medals at the State and All India Inter-University athletic meets.

Former national-level athlete Ashish Umaraskar has been suffering from cancer and battling for his life

Umaraskar was recently diagnosed with cancer. He was shocked when he came to know about the disease. Tragedy struck him again when Umaraskar’s mother Vaijayanti, who is also suffering from cancer, lost her leg. Life dealt a cruel blow to the Umaraskar family when his wife Shraddha, as well as 10-year-old son Kedar, too, were diagnosed with cancer and their eyesight weakened.

Hope my little contribution helps him and his family recover soon: Rajeev

Rajeev came to know about Umaraskar’s struggles through some common friends. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, the former Olympian said:

“Some of my friends in Nagpur told me about Ashish’s illness. It is a bad feeling when someone goes through this sort of pain. He was my junior when I was training in Nagpur in the early nineties. He was part of the long distance runners’ group, while I was in the sprint category. It was a small help for him and his family. I hope and pray that he recovers soon from the disease."

The fastest man in India in the nineties, Rajeev represented the Indian athletics team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and has been a resident of Brisbane for the last two decades.

Rajeev Balakrishnan has produced several national junior athletes in Australia

With all his savings spent on his treatment, Umaraskar is now fighting for survival and urgently needs financial assistance for his treatment. Having been on leave from his bank job since July, Umaraskar is now receiving only half salary which is making the matter worse for him.

However, he has not lost hope and is bravely facing the challenges. He is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital and doctors have suggested a bone marrow transplant which will cost around INR 20 lakh. Financially, Umaraskar is not in a position to arrange such a huge amount for his treatment.

According to doctors, he can recover from cancer if people come forward and help him financially.

Rajeev hopes people will donate generously and help Umaraskar recover enough money for his treatment.

The 50-year-old Rajeev is the athletics coach at the University of Queensland Track Club ever since he settled in Brisbane in 2000. Some of the athletes he trained have represented the country in international events. Rajeev was part of the Indian 4x100m relay team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.