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If you were to narrow yourself down to discussing just one aspect of Sri Chinmoy's creative and athletic output - be it music, art, literature or sport - if you were to take even that one aspect and go through all the achievements therein, you would still wonder in amazement at how it all fits into a finite lifespan of seventy-odd years. Sri Chinmoy's contributions in the world of sport are no exception, spanning athletics weightlifting, tennis and more.

Sri Chinmoy's first love has always been running. A sprint and decathlon champion in his youth, he started training for marathons in the late 1970's to inspire his students, who were similarly beginning to train for and run marathons. In the space of four years from 1979 to 1983 he ran 22 marathons and four ultramarathons. Later he would revert to his beloved sprinting, setting an impressive time of 13.68 for 100m at the age of 62. He also participated in two World Master's Games in 1983 and 1993.

However, Sri Chinmoy's most notable contributions to the sporting world have been in the area of weightlifting. In 1985, at the age of 54 he received an inner inspiration to begin weightlifting, starting with a mere 40 pound weight. However, his capacity quickly expanded and he soon began lifting unbelievable amounts of weight, culminating in a one-arm lift of 7,063 lb. These lifts drew the attention and admiration of many leading figures in the bodybuilding world. In addition to metal weights, he started lifting objects such as cars, motorcycles, and elephants which captured the public's imagination. Sri Chinmoy has also used his weightlifting to honour men and women around the globe who have been of service to their fellow man in a ceremony called "Lifting up the World With a Oneness Heart". As part of the award ceremony, the recipient is lifted overhead by Sri Chinmoy in body using a specially designed apparatus - an experience that is spiritually as well as physically uplifting.

Sri Chinmoy was also an avid tennis player, and in the late seventies and eighties would often play tennis for the entire day. He is very fond of tennis because of its philosophy of "love and serve" . Just as the ball goes anywhere the tennis player hits it hits it, similarly we make the fastest progress by accepting cheerfully the life-circumstances that God gives us.

Sri Chinmoy has also tried his hand at many other kinds of sport with considerable success. He was one of the best soccer and volleyball players in the spiritual community where he grew up. He has often taken up new sports with a child's enthusiasm and spontaneity. During the 1980's, he embarked upon a programme called Rainbow-Dreamers, setting himself challenges in every discipline imaginable, whether it be the most scores out of 100 basketball free shots (79) or the highest standing jump (35 inches). In Kyoto, Japan in 1986 he performed 2,230 push-ups in just under an hour.

Photo: Sri Chinmoy training with his good friend Carl Lewis

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