Nihal Baig is an Indian athlete and an aeronautical engineer. He won a silver medal in Mumbai Marathon and first place in Ironman 70.3 Goa.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Nihal Baig was born in Hyderabad and grew up in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. He completed his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ponda. In 2011, he pursued an integrated 5-year course of B.Tech and M.Tech in Aeronautics, Aviation, Aerospace Science and Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, one of the most prestigious technical institutes of India. He currently works as a Senior Associate at Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), a top investment finance company.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx): 6′ 2″
Weight (Approx): 60 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
parents and siblings
His father Subedar Major Ahmed Baig served in the Indian Army. There is not much information about his mother. He has an elder brother. In an interview, Nihal Baig talked about his father’s perspective on his victory in the amateur men’s category at the Mumbai Marathon in January 2023 and said,
Father was really very happy. He was calling and messaging everyone. Just the news is spreading that his son has completed his studies so well. Even now since the race, he’s actively doing that.”
Nihal Baig’s parents
Nihal Baig with his mother and brother (left)
wife and children
Nihal Baig is unmarried.
Religion
Nihal Baig follows Hindu religion.
livelihood
Nihal Baig started taking interest in sports as soon as he took admission in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in 2011. His main focus was on studies, but at his institution, it was mandatory for undergraduate students to choose an extracurricular activity from among sports. Social Service, and National Cadet Corps (NCC). Nihal Baig decided to take up sports as his extra-curricular activity. In his alma mater, he was an avid marathon runner and was the best athlete among the 16 IITs, including his alma mater. Nihal Baig won several medals in middle and long distance races (400m-5000m) in inter-IIT athletic meets and events, as he explained in an interview,
I really wanted to be a runner first. But I quickly realized that to be that kind of runner you need to be God-given. I was not that man. Then I tried other distances 800m, 1500m and 5000m and I realized I was very good at it, I was competitive but it was something you would see mostly in class. I always wanted to be top in the class. To be honest, I didn’t think much about sports in school. I mean, I ran the 100 and 200 meters in school athletics meets, but I still wasn’t the fastest in the class. I may not be the brightest, but I can work really hard. To be a good runner in those distances, you need a combination of hard work and consistency and I could do that even in college. And when I did that, I realized that I was one of the fastest middle distance runners in my college. When I used to work out, it didn’t interfere with my studies that much because I guess, I’ve always been a bright student. I used to understand things very quickly. I will spend a few hours and understand those principles. It was not an issue managing grades and sports. In general, the IIT environment is one where you are expected to do something or the other throughout the day. For me, it was research or play. I used to get really tired after some workouts but I never felt that it was causing me any problems in any way.
Due to COVID-19, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships 2020 in New Zealand were cancelled. Nihal Baig chose the middle and long race events of the 2021 edition scheduled in Utah, USA.
I hope to attend the 2021 TMM in May if the event goes as planned.”
In May 2014, Nihal Baig joined Maruti Suzuki India Limited and worked there as a summer intern for three months. In August 2016, he joined Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) as a Risk Management Analyst. He is the former Secretary General of Sports Affairs at IIT Powai and the former overall coordinator of the 50th Inter-IIT Sports Meet at IIT Powai. He currently serves as a Senior Associate at MSCI. In an interview, Nihal revealed that he convinced his father about his passion and now he wants to balance his job with sports.
I had that conversation with my father. He was not very sure. But once I told him how serious I was and that this was what I wanted to do, he supported me completely. I took my time to understand how to work around my job. It was only after doing a half-marathon of an hour and twenty minutes that I felt I could balance my training and work and compete seriously. I have a lot of time in the morning in Pune. I log in around 12 noon. I have enough time to work out in the morning, eat well, stretch, and recover. It’s usually a morning workout and in the evening, I do cross training or strength training. It’s all at home. I do a lot of mobility and strength sessions, body weight exercises at home. If I’m training for a marathon, I’m training every day, but in a triathlon, it’s 12 sessions a week plus 3-4 strength sessions and lots of mobility and stretching every day.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Nihal Baig won the third edition of Ironman 70.3 Goa 2022 with a timing of 04:32:05.
Nihal Baig wins Ironman 70.3 Goa 2023
- On 2 October 2019, he finished second at Ironman 70.3 Goa 2019.
Nihal Baig secures 2nd place in Ironman 70.3 Goa 2019
- In November 2022, he won first place in Ironman 70.3 Goa 2022.
Nihal Baig secures first place in Ironman 70.3 Goa 2022
- He won 5 medals including 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze and I was awarded as the best athlete in all IITs during his integrated graduation.
- On 24 January 2021, he stood third overall in the 10 km Cross Country (State Trials) held at Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Krida Nagari Balewadi, Pune with a timing of 33:29.
Nihal Baig secures 3rd position in Pune District 10k Cross Country (State Trials) 2021
Facts/General Knowledge
- In fact, Nihal says he can’t imagine returning to a regular office job.
I’ve thought about it, and to be very honest, I can’t go to a regular 9-5 job. I still go to the office occasionally so I can keep in touch with regular people who may not share my passion. But I personally see myself sticking with the game for a long time. I want to continue competing as long as I can. I don’t know how things will play out but right now I don’t see anyone stopping. “Just this journey is interesting to me.”
- Nihal Baig suffered injuries to the fibula and tibia in the lower leg. He underwent hernia repair surgery. He said in an interview,
I had suffered some injuries to both my lower legs, fibula and tibia, which caused me to stop running altogether and even cycling to some extent during those periods. But after complete recovery, returning to training was not that difficult. I have always been very self-motivated, so I never felt any barriers to training regularly. I was diagnosed with hernia about 7 months ago and later underwent surgery for hernia repair on 10th April. The recovery was not as smooth as I had hoped (originally from reading about rehabilitation after surgery and the knowledge I had gained from doctors and physios). For the first three months, I felt worse than before the surgery. I was in constant touch with my physio to understand what was happening and how soon I could get back to training. Everything was bleak, some days you feel fine and you try to work out and it goes well and then suddenly you feel even worse. You’re not sure whether you should listen to your mind, your body, your body, or your friends and family.”
- In an interview, when Nihal Baig was asked about the most memorable day of his sports career.
December, Inter IIT Sports Meet-2013, Guwahati: 5000m race I was used to running on grass tracks in Mumbai, so due to the rough terrain in Guwahati I had to wrap my toes in bandages. I maintained a steady pace and ran all my laps under 85 seconds, but it was the last lap where I overtook the guy in front of me and beat him by a second to win the race. I completed the lap in 62 seconds, and my toe was bleeding profusely. The cold weather had numbed the pain.”
- He was the founder of IIT Bombay Cycling Club. To stay fit and practice, he used to travel on a hybrid bicycle.
Once I graduated and started working, I had no intention of taking sports seriously. It was still important but I thought I had to stay fit and focus on my work. I did this my first year on the job. I also knew I couldn’t do track events anymore, so I thought I’d maintain my fitness and maybe run a half-marathon. I also got a bicycle because I always wanted to go to office by bicycle. Because running had improved my cardio, I felt I could replicate that fitness.”
- During an interview, when Nihal Baig was asked about the toughest race of his life, he said,
I set myself a goal time of 3:05 (Boston Marathon qualifying time) I was recovering from a fibula stress fracture so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it because the pain was coming back after I ran. The pain the night before the race was terrible and I had to mentally prepare myself to race the next morning. I ran with muscle spray and compression socks and my pain disappeared within 28km of the race. When I reached the 30km mark, I felt a surge of strength that propelled me to complete the marathon in 3:03:37.”
- In an interview, Nihal Baig talked about becoming a role model for his youth and said
I have some college batchmates who stopped running after starting a job. Some of them have become operational again. He says that he gets inspired by my performance and achievements. It feels good that I have been able to bring them on the path too,” he says. Nihal plans to double his athletic activities. “I have actually started coaching. I coach a lot of runners and triathletes. This also helps me because I get a chance to share my knowledge and learn from their habits and what problems they are facing. This is really something I want to do [in the] Long term.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn