From being out of place and out of sorts during the pandemic when everything looked bleak, the spirited bodybuilder Karmjeeth Singh Soni of Hyderabad has the enviable distinction of making it to the prestigious Viva Classic 2023 championship in Thailand on December 24.
The 27-year-old fitness trainer, who managed to raise funds from his meagre salary and also savings from his mother who is a housewife, is among the top 20 from the country to make the cut for the international event. For someone who was into bodybuilding seriously in 2017 when he won the ‘Mr. Telangana’ title in the 65 kg category, success eluded him for long till the pandemic break.
“And that phase was the biggest challenge for me as I was not supposed to eat anything which has sugar, salt, maida. My diet should be only boiled eggs, chicken, raw vegetables. But these were out of reach for obvious reasons during the pandemic,” Karmjeeth recalled.
“So, when I returned to the competition in 2022 it was a demanding recovery phase to regain my peak fitness levels. I started running for three hours daily for three to four months before switching over to 30 minutes and spending more time in the gym,” said the Hyderabadi who owes a lot to his indefatigable mother Amruth Pal Kaur.
“And I am glad that I won a bronze in ‘Mr. South India’ in Chennai and the gold in 2023 in the same championship,” he said. “But, the turning point was when I clinched the silver in the Mr. India championship in the 65 kg category. A performance which earned me a place in the Viva Classic,” said a delighted Karmjeeth.
“Definitely, the Classic presents the toughest competition as the best from across the world will be there. But, I am confident of winning a medal given the kind of preparations I have already begun. In fact, the top five finishers get medals in the Classic,” he said.
Why bodybuilding? “The first target was to get into the Indian Army. Then, thought of becoming a cricketer. But somehow got hooked to bodybuilding as the ultimate dream is to represent India and win laurels,” the B.Com graduate said.
