Nisar Ahmad, a 16-year-old boy living in the slums by the railway tracks in Azadpur area of Delhi may soon get to see good times through his extraordinary talent in running. The athlete is all set to go to Jamaica where he will train at the Racers Track Club in Kingston, home of athletics superstar Usain Bolt and his venerable coach, Glen Mills.

In an initiative undertaken by the  Gas Authority of India(GAIL) and sports management company, Anglian Medal Hunt, athletes in the 15-18 years age group were selected from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Odisha and Delhi.  Ahmad’s capabilities and potential were assessed by the Kingston club and he was selected for the four-week training programme.

Ahmad is the son of a rickshaw puller and a housemaid and they can barely make ends meet with a meagre sum of Rs 5000 that they earn every month. The family cannot afford to provide a diet rich in protein for the budding runner, yet Ahmad’s speed is impressive.

Ahmad’s mother recounts that even as a child, Ahmad would run so fast that it was impossible to catch him. He broke two national under-16 records as he bagged two gold medals in the short sprints at the recently held Delhi State Athletics Meet.