From helping dad at hair saloon to podium: Yash's tale

VINOD Khandagale was into bodybuilding in his youth and used to train at a local gym named Digvijay Institute in Sangli, Maharashtra in the late 90s.

- FIROZ MIRZA @Chennai

VINOD Khandagale was into bodybuilding in his youth and used to train at a local gym named Digvijay Institute in Sangli, Maharashtra in the late 90s. During his days at the gym, he had seen people training for weightlifting at the place.

Born into a family who had been running a hair-cutting saloon for generations, Vinod had to leave bodybuilding and join his family's profession. Vinod might have given up his dream then but vowed that he would not let his children pursue the family profession. And he did exactly the same when he admitted his elder son Yash at Digvijay Institute.

It was not easy as at times he struggled to make dietary arrangements for his son, but the family, with some help from coach Mayur Sinhasane, managed to sail through the storm. It all came to fruition when Yash clinched a gold medal in the 65kg division in the junior category at the ongoing Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.