Nuh running hero Parvej Khan wins 1500 gold at US college event, with a bit of Steve Ovett sass in the heats

At 3.45 am on Sunday, while villagers of Chahalka in Nuh district of Haryana slept, Khalid Hussain was glued to YouTube on his phone, watching his 19-year-old nephew Parvej Khan wow fans at a collegiate competition in Louisiana, USA, halfway across the world.

Parvej won the 1,500 metres gold and a bronze in 800 metres at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, a competition for athletes in South Central and Southeastern United States. Parvej came to prominence after his gold on Saturday night, but he had made history in March by becoming the first Indian track athlete to compete at the prestigious NCAA championships in Boston. He competed in the one mile race, a non-Olympic event.

Those before him to make a mark in the NCAA are illustrious athletes; triple jumper Mohinder Singh Gill, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and high jumper Tejaswin Shankar.

KING KHAN STRIKES AGAIN 👑#GoGators 🐊 | @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/WmbB4NCjNe

— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF) May 11, 2024

Khalid quickly got on a call with Parvej’s brother Rohit. “At 4 am, when his parents woke up, they came running to check. His mother was disappointed that he couldn’t qualify for the Olympics. I told them there are more competitions before the Olympics…he could still qualify,” Khalid said of the early morning conversation.

The high standards the family has set for Parvej is because he had shown promise as an athlete in his teens.

His father Nafees Ahmed recalls his son’s poor marks in mathematics because he put his heart and soul into running.

“When he was in 9th standard, there would be races between villages in Rewari, Nuh, and Manesar on Independence Day, New Years… At 13, he would beat 23-year-olds easily. He would train on the farm land,” Ahmed said.

Parvej is UNREAL 😱

Khan finishes the 800m in 1:46.80 which earns him the 🥉 in the event!#GoGators 🐊 | @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/M9OzF3ML6n

— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF) May 12, 2024

From running on the farm in Nuh to representing the University of Florida on track, Parvej has made rapid strides.

Even before winning the gold in the 1,500 metres at the Championships in Louisiana, video clips of Parvej raising his hand and egging on fans as he pulled away from the other runners in the final stretch of the preliminary heats had gone viral. The on-air commentators would compare his surge with the 1980 Games finish of the tactical British genius, Steve Ovett, saying: “Oh the showmanship to the crowd… Little of Steve Ovett (British middle distance great) down the finishing straight from Parvej Khan, working a little harder than he actually needs to.”

Parvej Khan’s mother Hansira, father Nafees Ahmed and uncle Khalid Hussain at their home on Saturday.

The final was a closer race, but Khan used his strong finishing kick to win the gold. He clocked 3 minutes and 42.73 seconds to win the title at the LSU Bernie Moore Stadium.

Parvej will have to go faster in order to book the Paris Olympics berth with the qualifying standard set at 3:33.50. He won a second medal on the same day, a bronze in the 800 metres by clocking 1:46.80, over two second slower than 1:44.70 – the Olympic qualifying standard.

Post Saturday’s race Parvej said that he didn’t give his 100 per cent in the 1,500 metres because he also had to compete in the 800 metres.

Talking about him showboating in the preliminary race of the 1,500m on Friday night, Khan said that he didn’t mean to disrespect other athletes and only wanted to entertain the crowd.

“My intention was not bad (against) my competitors or rivals. I always respect my competitors and rivals. I am just doing it for my home crowd,” Parvej added.

Oly qualification challenging

Parvej was realistic about his chances of qualifying for the Olympics. “It (qualifying) is on my mind, but it is very hard to qualify. I am very far behind.. but I am giving my 100 per cent and doing my job every day. Hope so I get the Olympic standard.”

Parvej has also had a tryst with controversy when he was declared overage at the National Junior Championships in Guwahati in 2021. When he won the 1,500 metre gold at the the National Open Championships in Warangal, the Athletics Federation of India had to clarify that there were no restrictions on him competing at the senior level.

“To clarify the issue on Parvej Khan. He was declared overage in the U18 category at National Jr Guwahati & cannot compete in age group events anymore. However, he is eligible to compete in Sr Category #NOACwarangal. He is very much the winner of the National Open 1500m title. No record,” the AFI had posted on Twitter back then.

Yet Parvej’s story has become an inspiration for the youth in Nuh.

“Mewat region has so many talented boys like Parvej, but they don’t reach where they deserve to be, because of the circumstances,” Khalid said.

After 10th grade, Parvej left for Delhi to train at the JLN Stadium and stay with his uncle who drives a taxi in the city. However, Parvej needed formal training as he was up against some of the best athletes in the region. “So he decided to get a coach at Rs 1,000 per month.”

After his stint in Delhi, he went to Bhopal where he met Anupama Srivastava, a Sports Authority of India coach. “She had a tremendous effect on him. She would accompany him to races and help him improve. She was also the one who guided him to apply abroad and also choose the University of Florida offer,” Khalid said.

Last August, Parvej received two scholarship offers, from a Japanese university and the University of Florida. He was employed with the Indian Navy but grabbed the opportunity to study and train abroad. “The scholarship took care of his tuition fee, and hostel fee apart from a yearly stipend equivalent to Rs 2 lakh,” Khalid said.

Though Parvej is making a mark on the track, his mother Hansira has a complaint.

“He does not call us, and we have to call him to check how he is doing. On Friday, after the heats, he asked us to pray for the finals,” Hansira said.

On Sunday, a steady stream of visitors made their way to Parvej’s home to congratulate the family. Khalid’s phone was buzzing with calls. “He wanted to come back in June, but we told him to stay back till the end of June so he can try and qualify for the Olympics by competing there. The Olympics is a dream for him and us,” Khalid said even as he accepted congratulatory messages.

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