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Amarjeet Singh Chawla, 70, was cheering with the rest of India as the cricket team closed in on the T20 world title at Ahmedabad on Sunday evening. The ‘Sporty Sikh’, as he is known, had dual reasons to be ecstatic.

The same Sunday morning, Kandivli resident Chawla, who is visually impaired, had placed third in the 65-plus age group category at a run held on the Eastern Express Highway’s (EEH) Ghatkopar service way. The distance was 5 km, and the run by two running outfits called ‘18th Kilometer’ and ‘Run2Together’ was held to mark Women’s Day, which falls on March 8.

The third-place finisher, Amarjeet Singh Chawla, has wise strides. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Chawla, whose speciality is the half-marathon and who has run several ultra-marathons too (over the conventional 42-km marathon distance), said, “I finished my 5-km run in 44:59 s. I had Revnappa Chuchakoti with me, who has been my guide on several runs.”

Call for consistency

“I was the only visually impaired runner in the event. I have never let my disability define me. I want people to know that when a team/individual is winning, they show encouragement. When they are down, that gusto disappears. This is like bubbles on the water that stay on the surface for a while to burst eventually. The pride and motivation must be consistent,” claimed Chawla, who said his run for Women’s Day was all about HER. H for health, E for empowerment and R for respect.

All about Amarjeet

>> Amarjeet Singh Chawla lost his eyesight completely when he was 40 years old.
>> A guide runner is like a guide writer/reader, whom the sightless use in examinations.
>> Chawla is also known as the ‘Dancing Sardar from Mumbai’ as he dances mid-race at times, hearing the dhol tasha on course.

Challenges conquered

Chawla underwent open-heart surgery in 2024. He was back to running seven months after that.

Runner’s reminder

India won the first-ever Blind Women’s T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in November 2025, defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the final.