Sagar Kate bags prestigious Ayudh Khel Ratna Award
Sagar Kate, a resident of Pimple Saudagar was recently felicitated with the prestigious ‘Ayudh Khel Ratna Award’, by the Ministry of Defence. It is an award dedicated to a very few athletes who consistently perform on a national level.
Akash Dhanurkar
“Fifteen years of struggle not only flowered a successful life with a series of achievement but has also won me a life that I experimented with dedication and hard work. Taking risk with dedication has not only given me an identity that people in the fitness industry closely follow but has also proven me a role model for achieving the dreams, ” says Sagar Kate, a Pimple Saudagar resident who recent won ‘Ayudh Khel Ratna Award’.
Close to fifteen years, Sagar competed at different scales of body building competitions. He lost a few and then gathered strength, confidence in himself to achieve the lost battles. Consecutively, fifteen years of dedication has not only won him today a prestigious award but has also thrown him an opportunity of representing country at the International stage. Sagar Kate, who is all set to compete at the International level, has won a national award. Sagar Kate, who is an early achiever of a few of the most reputed body building titles, ‘Pune Shree’, ‘Maharashtra Shree’ & ‘Manacha Bharat Shree’, ‘Mr. India’, managed to win gold medals for seven consecutive years.
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While talking to PunePulse he said, “I achieved this feat only after working out for years without fluctuating my dedication and aim. I kept working hard without thinking of the shortcut or temporary vision. I dedicate it to my parents and my mentors who not only guided me through this unimaginable journey but also stood like a rigid support on whom I relied at any point of time.”
Upon questioning about how there are shortcuts in today’s body building industry, which is not only misguiding the youngsters but also proving to be harmful, Sagar replied, “Look, nothing comes with ease. One has to get out of their comfort zone. Consistency and dedication can take any sport player leaps and bounds.”
While recalling about his first ever win in a body building championship, Sagar suggested that he had won NCP organised body building championship near Sangamwadi. And since then he kept winning most of the local body building championships in Pune until he realised that ‘Pune Shree’ title awaited his participation. He then further bagged the title of ‘Pune Shree’ and also won a ‘Mumbai Shree’ award. After the series of awards there was no looking back for Sagar as he went a mile ahead and achieved the title of ‘Mr. India’.
Sagar Kate said, “Representing India is a proud achievement, which I have managed to do once in my life after that I didn’t show up at national level platform because of the lack of support and sponsors. Due to high monopoly at the stage, our value gets lowered. But now, I am preparing for International scale, participating under 100 kgs category.”
According to the additional information, Sagar is currently training to participate in International platform, under the training by Gary Strydom, who is an International American Body Builder, who is the only athlete to win a Championship title under Vince McMahon’s, now defunct World Bodybuilding Federation.
Furthermore, Sagar, while guiding the youngsters towards Body building industry, said that “If people really want to indulge in this industry or the other industrids then they have to give their hundred percent. Now a days, I see people leaving the process midway. People have to be consistent and body building is not a cake walk. You need a plan to execute this extensive game and after a couple of months of starting the preparation, people get exhausted due to lack of motivation. No one can be motivated enough everyday, but if you have a goal to achieve then discipline comes automatically.”
