At around 4:30 AM every day, when much of Mumbai is still asleep, Parag Patil begins his day of running and jumping and hoping. A few hours later, he is behind the wheel, driving a cab through the busy roads of Mumbai to support his family and fund the sporting career.At 47, Patil has already spent decades chasing a dream as a young boy. The man is an internationally-recognised athlete. He has 22 international Masters athletics medals among which four are gold, 10 silver and eight bronze. But remarkably, his target is getting 100 medals for India, for Tiranga.For Patil, the medals are not simply pieces of metal but reminders of the sacrifices made by his family. All the loans he took and the long hours he spent working and training as an athlete.A dream that began at a tender age of 11Patil was just 11 years old when he participated in a state-level competition in Thane, Maharashtra. There were no events for his age group, so he competed in the under-17 category. But his career as an athlete was never easy. His parents wanted him to pursue a more secure profession.Early educationPatil later completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Pune University and worked in manufacturing and corporate jobs. Between 2000 and 2013, he rose from a helper earning a modest salary to a purchase manager.His international breakthrough and medal journeyIn 2010, at the International Veterans Athletics Championship in Pune, Patil won three silver medals.Three years later, he competed at the World Masters Games in Turin, Italy. There he won one silver and two bronze medals.He then participated at the Australian Masters Games, World Masters Games and Asia Pacific Masters Games and got medals for his country.But every medal came with a priceHowever, behind every medal is a story of struggle.In 2013, he said he had to take a loan of around ₹1.5 lakh after promises of financial assistance fell through. Currency fluctuations further increased his expenses during his trip to Italy. He recalled cutting down on food and sometimes surviving on just breakfast during his 13-day trip to Italy.Yet he competed, won and came home with medals.In 2019, after winning five medals at the Australian Masters Games in Adelaide, Patil had to raise money to cover expenses including airfare, accommodation and registration. The Indian Express reported at the time that he had launched a fundraising appeal to recover those costs.Wife put her mangalsutra as mortgageIn 2025, Patil was preparing to compete at the Australian Masters Games in Canberra. He needed around ₹4 lakh for the trip. His wife Sunita’s mangalsutra had reportedly been kept as collateral against an earlier loan.Donors came in for helpFollowing coverage of his struggle, donors contributed more than ₹1.2 lakh within 24 hours, which helped cover his airfare and visa expenses.Medals at 2025 Australian Masters Games in Canberra
With his medals and dream (Instagram/@seniorolympianpaarag)
At the 2025 Australian Masters Games in Canberra, he competed in five events and won a medal in each one of them.He won gold in the long jump and triple jump, silver in the 60m and bronze in the 100m and 200m. Those five medals took his international Masters tally to 22. It was truly a remarkable achievement considering his financial struggle.Physical injuryBut Patil suffered a knee injury during the long jump and a hamstring problem. His story had already gone viral once before, when a passenger discovered that the person driving his Ola was an accomplished international athlete.The encounter started a discussion about how someone who had represented India and won so many international medals could still be struggling financially. There is, however, an important distinction: Patil is a Masters athlete, not an Olympic Games athlete.“The system failed me and many others like me,” he told The Print in an interview.Family support
Parag Patil (X)
His wife Sunita is a makeup artist and has stood by him through the financial uncertainty. Their son Krupaunsh is studying engineering in Pune. Patil has described his wife as one of the biggest pillars behind his journey.100 medals dream for IndiaHe has already won 22. The number may sound ambitious, even improbable, but Patil continues to train as if the next race is the only one that matters. Every morning, he still returns to the track and drives people through Mumbai’s traffic. But in his mind, the finish line is bringing 100 medals home.