Record breaker

SINGAPORE - Two years ago, 16-year-old Zubin Percy Muncherji set a challenge for himself. Not any ordinary challenge - like eating the most burgers, proposing to the most beautiful girl in school or other such teenage indulgences. He set his sights on the 400m Singapore national athletics record, which had been around for 40 years.

The record was 47.4 seconds, set by Godfrey Jalleh at the National Stadium in 1974. It had been around so long that it had intimidated and beaten many men over the years.

Not Zubin. In June this year at the Asian Junior Championship in Taipei, the 18-year-old ran his best race. He set the time of 47.29 seconds in Round 1 of the 400m qualifiers. More importantly, he set a new benchmark in Singapore athletics. Godfrey's record was broken and Zubin felt as much relief as shock at what he had done.

More than two months after the record-breaking run he still speaks with frenetic energy about that race, as if he has just finished running it. As if he is still breathless from the effort. There's nervousness in his voice. A sign of disbelief maybe.

"I had been eyeing this record for so long. It's my biggest achievement to date. At that moment of course it was all a big shock. I knew I had run fast but fast enough to break the record was a big, big surprise," he tells tabla!.

That race, in which he finished second, made him a front-page hero, headlines screaming his name. It's the race that made all the hours of training under the gruelling sun, all the iron-pumping in the gym, not eating pizza, skipping parties... all of it worthwhile. Although he finished fifth in the finals at the championship, with a timing of 47.74 seconds, he had bagged the record and it's all that seemed to matter.

It also changed things for him. Now more is expected from this young man of 18.

A gold, perhaps, at next year's South-east Asian (SEA) Games which will be held in Singapore.

His coach Kamarulzaman Tahir, with whom Zubin has been training for five years, thinks so. "He will win the gold and I think break the national record once more by running under 47 seconds," Mr Kamarulzaman tells tabla!.

Zubin too thinks he can run faster. "A medal is definitely a possibility at the SEA Games. It'll be special to run in front of the home crowd and do well," he says, though without the promise of the yellow metal.

He speaks with much restraint; despite the bragging right he has won for himself. He even plays down the one clear advantage he enjoys. At 1.88m, he is probably the tallest athlete in Singapore. His bigger strides help him cover more distance, an advantage he can take with him to higher competitions.

"In Singapore I may be among the tallest athletes competing, but outside it's hardly an advantage, where every other athlete is about my height or taller," he says.

He can play down the expectations, the advantages, yet, he knows running is never going to be the same again. People will get greedy for better starts, more wins, fewer seconds. For to break Godfrey's record, Zubin had shaved off 1.40 seconds from his previous best of 48.69seconds.

Such progress is bound to fuel expectations.

But can this young boy cope?

Coach Kamarulzaman says he can.

"I think he has the potential to be the finest athlete Singapore has ever produced," he says. "I remember I sent a letter to the Singapore Athletic Association a couple of years ago telling them that this boy had the potential to break the national record. He has proven me right."

All in the genes

Zubin needn't look far for inspiration and advice. He comes from a family of sports achievers.

Zubin's maternal aunt is Natasha Joshi, a former tennis player in India, who played in the junior Wimbledon, US and Australian Open.

She was ranked World No. 47 in the junior circuit at one point and competed against the likes of Lindsay Davenport, Lisa Raymond and Chanda Rubin. His maternal grandfather Ashok Joshi was a cricketer, with 81 first class matches to his name. He captained Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy cricket championship in India.

Zubin's mother Archana played state-level badminton in India.

"My sporting genes come from my mother's side I guess," Zubin says, but credits his father for spotting his talent in running.

"I could always run fast. But I didn't think it was fast enough to compete till my father and grandfather spotted it. I have now been competing since 2009 when I was in Secondary 1 and took up proper training only in 2010," he says.

His other big inspiration is Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, whom he idolises. So much so that yams are a regular feature in his diet. The Jamaican is believed to have a special affinity to yams, which he claims help him run faster. Zubin, a student of Anglo-Chinese Junior College, also loves to imitate Usain's signature thunderbolt pose.

Striving for excellence

Zubin's parents, Percy and Archana, moved from India to Singapore when he was only a few months old. His father is an architect and a director at Oakwood, a US-based housing firm. Mr Muncherji belongs to the Parsi community in India while his wife is a Maharashtrian who grew up in Gujarat.

Zubin has a younger brother, Reyaan, nine, who has taken a liking to badminton, the sport in which his mother excelled.

The Muncherjis live in their 2,700 sq ft home at Horizon Towers, the interior of which Mr Muncherji designed himself. Their home has been featured in multiple publications for its beauty and design. It seems excellence is a Muncherji trait.

Mr Muncherji says it's a fantastic feeling to see his son do so well in athletics. "We've encouraged him in whatever way we can. He is a determined boy and we are very proud of his achievements," he says.

He rues the fact that work keeps him away from watching Zubin run but he says he keeps abreast of all the developments in his son's athletic life. "Even while I am travelling for work, my wife sends me regular updates."

Zubin's mother Archana, who worked as a public relations professional with Changi Airport before giving up her job to be with her sons, travels with him to all his major events around the world. She says it is something she enjoys doing.

"It's a proud feeling to see him compete. I have been a sportsman. I have grown up with sportspersons (father Ashok and sister Natasha). I know how important a role family support plays in an athlete's life. Which is why we want to give him the best possible base," she says.

The hard hours

Zubin trains under coach Kamarulzaman six days a week, which includes gymnasium sessions of 11/2 hours and track sessions of two to three hours.

Mr Kamarulzaman says Zubin began as a 100m and 200m runner but on his advice he switched to 400m.

"He is a determined boy. He has the built of a runner and I felt he was perfectly suited for 400m," he says, giving his parents credit for all the support they provide Zubin. "Parents support is No. 1 in an athlete's life," he says.

Zubin follows a strict diet, closely monitored by his mother, to help him become stronger as an athlete.

Last year he travelled to Indiana, US, to train and improve his results.

He says Singapore sports is seeing an improvement because of the attention given to athletes and the facilities made available to them. However, he feels athletes need more sponsorship and publicity to come their way.

For he understands that it's not always will that'll drive athletes past that finish line.

Zubin is now focused on the SEA Games. The hope is that this determined young man of 18 can make the headlines once again.

ankitav@sph.com.sg

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