Age proved no barrier for 77-year-old Lt Col OPN Kalyan (Retd), who combined endurance and adventure in Siberia, completing a 10-km run at the XXXVI Siberian International Marathon in Omsk on August 1, followed by a tandem skydive from 3,000 metres the next day.
lt Col OPN Kalyan, one of just four foreign participants among around 6,190 runners, said competing in Siberia was a dream he had pursued for years.
“It was a proud and emotional moment for me to participate in the Siberian Marathon and represent India. It had been my lifetime dream to run in Siberia, and finally, at the age of 77, I was able to accomplish it,” he said.
There was little time to rest. On August 2, Kalyan took off from the Omsk Aviation Sports Club of DOSAAF for a tandem jump from approximately 3,000 metres. He experienced nearly 40 seconds of freefall at around 200 kmph before the parachute opened at about 1,700 metres.
“It was a wonderful and thrilling jump over Siberia. The freefall was an unforgettable experience,” he said.
The Siberian double is the latest achievement in a remarkable sporting and adventure journey. A former Army officer with nearly four decades of service, Kalyan has represented India at Masters Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, winning two gold, two silver and two bronze medals. He has also won 10 medals in diving at the National Masters Aquatic Championships.
His appetite for adventure has grown with age. He travelled to Antarctica at 75, undertook an Arctic expedition at 76, completed a 7,000-foot skydive in Norway and participated in the Tawang Marathon.
Lt Col OPN Kalyan’s military career included operational service during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and a stint with the Siachen Brigade. He later spent 15 years voluntarily preserving Army heritage as curator of the ASC Museum in Bengaluru.
For OPN Kalyan, however, the numbers tell only part of the story.“I believe that age should never become an excuse to stop living with purpose, enthusiasm and courage,” he said.
At 77, his latest message is unmistakable: the finish line is wherever you decide to stop.
