But of those 600 athletes, none of them have come from India.
Pooja Chaurushi hopes to change that.
Chaurushi is a developing triathlete from India, who just recently moved to the United States to train with Coach Boris in Round Rock, Texas.
Starting out as a swimmer at the age of nine years old, she quickly started participating in aquathlons in order to increase her endurance level. Her skill at the run-swim-run format gave her opportunities, such as competing at the National Championship as well as the Triathlon Junior Squad Selection Camp in Chennai in 2004. It was at that camp that Chaurushi was introduced to triathlon.
However, the expenditure of the sport prohibited Chaurushi from continuing. It wasn’t until 2006 when she won yet another aquathlon that the National Federation took notice and insisted she compete in triathlons. With a borrowed utility bike and an ounce of excitement, she went on to become a National Champion in the Olympic distance.
Chaurushi became a member of the ITU Development Team in 2009 and was involved in the ITU Development World Camp in Gold Coast, Australia. She then competed in the 2010 Asian Games that took place in Guangzhou, China.
But now, five years later, Chaurushi has set her sights on something bigger when it comes to her triathlon career. After taking a break from the sport to concentrate on her studies, she has spent the summer getting back into training with the hopes of one day becoming the first Indian triathlete to make it the Olympic Games.
“I want to represent India at the Olympics. Subsequently I would like to develop a strong team of triathletes in India and its neighbouring countries so that they can have good exposure of the sport in near vicinity,” said Chaurushi.
In order to fulfill that dream, Chaurusi knew that she needed to train in a place where she would have the most opportunities available for her. India currently does not have a National coach, and Pooja found she was practicing a lot on her own, so she knew she needed to find…