Growing up in Jharkhand, Shiv always knew he wanted a career in athletics. Even as he balanced training with schoolwork and responsibilities at home, the ambition never wavered – only the path to get there was still unclear. What he had was discipline, hours logged on the track, and a family watching closely; what he didn’t yet have was a structured way to turn that into a career. For young athletes aspiring to build a career in sport, talent is only one part of the journey. Access to the right training environment, expert guidance, nutrition,
equipment and opportunities to compete can determine how far that talent can go. For Shiv, a sprinter from Bokaro, that structure came through Sportz Village Foundation’s PathwayZ36 initiative – a high-performance pathway built around India’s Olympic ambition, supported by the Pernod Ricard India Foundation. A 100m and 200m sprinter currently training at the Centre of Excellence in Bokaro, Shiv joined the program in November 2025. Since then, he has progressed from grassroots-level competition to major national events – winning Gold in the 100m and Bronze in the 200m at the Tribal National Games, and Gold in the 4x100m mixed relay at the National Relay Championship.

For Shiv, Athletics Was Never in Question. The Pathway Was.

Before joining Raftaar, Shiv’s life revolved around athletics, studies and responsibilities at home. He was serious about pursuing the sport but the journey came with limitations. “I wanted to take athletics seriously but I didn’t always have the right facilities, guidance support,” Shiv recalls. There were also moments when he questioned whether athletics would work out as a career. Working hard without knowing where the effort would lead made the journey difficult. His family initially had concerns as well. Athletics was not an easy or guaranteed career but they continued to support him because they could see how passionately he was pursuing the sport Through impactful CSR programs like the Pernod Ricard India Foundation and Sportz Village Foundation partnership, young athletes from towns like Bokaro are no longer just dreaming of national success—they are achieving it.

 

One Race Changed the Course of His Journey

That opportunity came through the Raftaar Athlete Development Program’s talent identification process. During the trials, Shiv’s fitness data and skill sets were documented by the programme’s sports science team. At the Raftaar Trial Games, he emerged as the fastest runner. “I remember being nervous but also very excited. I knew that this was an important opportunity for me,” Shiv says. When he saw the result, it took a moment to register that he had run the fastest. The trial became an important turning point. It confirmed his potential and gave him an opportunity to develop within a more structured sporting environment

More Than a Training Plan: The Foundation Beneath the Speed

Since November 2025, Shiv’s training has taken on a structure that wasn’t available to him before. His strength and conditioning work is now built around consistent access to proper equipment, and every session is designed with a clear purpose – something Shiv says he’s had to learn to trust as much as the effort itself. Nutrition, once an afterthought, is now part of how he prepares. Shiv follows an individualised plan designed by a certified sports nutritionist, adjusted around his training and competition calendar. “Earlier, I mainly focused on training hard. Now I understand that recovery, nutrition, discipline, technique and proper guidance are equally important.” His coach has noticed the difference as well, particularly in Shiv’s discipline, confidence and understanding of recovery. He is now more focused on his training and takes his performance more seriously.

Stepping Onto Bigger Tracks

Training builds an athlete. Competition reveals one.For Shiv, stepping onto bigger tracks meant testing himself against athletes who were faster, more experienced, and further along in their own journeys. Over the past year, he’s had that chance four times over – at the National Relay Championship, the Tribal National Games, the Inter State Championship, and the Kolkata Athletics Series. Each competition brought him a little closer to the athlete he was working to become. And this time, when he stepped onto the track, coaches and scouts were watching too. And for the first time, the logistics of competing – travel, planning, preparation – were no longer his to figure out alone. That left him free to focus on the only thing that mattered on race day: running. The results followed. At the Tribal National Games, Shiv won Gold in the 100m and Bronze in the 200m. At the National Relay Championship, he was part of the team that won Gold in the 4x100m mixed relay.

When Competition Opened the Next Door

The value of competition exposure extended beyond the medals. Following his performance at the Kolkata Athletics Series, Shiv was identified by the Sports Authority coaching team and invited to join their training centre in Kolkata for further development. For a young athlete, an opportunity like this can be an important step – taking experience gained through competition and turning it into access to another level of coaching and development. It also demonstrates the role that competition exposure can play in an athlete pathway: providing not just a platform to compete, but an opportunity to be recognised by the wider sporting
ecosystem.

A More Complete Approach to Becoming an Athlete

The changes in Shiv’s journey are not limited to his results. His family, who were initially concerned about the uncertainty of an athletics career, are now more confident and proud as they see his progress. They encourage him to continue working hard and aim higher. For Shiv, the program has also introduced aspects of athletic development that extend beyond the track. “Raftaar has given me the opportunity to train and compete at a higher level. Through the program I am also learning different aspects such as nutrition, sleep patterns which are crucial for becoming an elite athlete. I now believe that I can take my athletics career to the next level.” His experience illustrates how athlete development can be strengthened when talent identification is followed by structured training, sports science inputs, nutrition support and access to competition.

The Next Stage of Shiv’s Journey

Shiv Kumar Soren’s journey is still at an early stage, but the trajectory is already clear. He arrived as a promising young sprinter from Bokaro – hungry, disciplined, and largely untested outside his region. In the months since, that talent has met structure, and structure has turned into results: medals at the Tribal National Games and National Relay Championship, and now, an invitation to train at the SAI centre in Kolkata following his performance in Kolkata. For Shiv, the next phase will be about building on that foundation – sharpening his performance, gaining more competition experience, and making the most of every opportunity that comes his way. His story is a reminder of something India doesn’t lack: talent. From Bokaro to villages and towns across the country, there are athletes with the speed, strength and hunger to compete on the biggest stages – waiting to be found, and given the ecosystem to grow. Shiv’s journey shows what becomes possible when that talent is met halfway.