Major General (Retd) Vikram Dogra, the first army man to complete an Ironman triathlon, broke his own record at the world’s most tiring sports event by 41 minutes. Maj Gen (R) Dogra completed the triathlon held at Germany’s Hamburg on July 30 in 13 hours 40 minutes. A total number of 2,700 athletes from across 70 countries took part in the Ironman triathlon this year. All-Woman IAF Crew Flies Military Chopper Mi-17 V5 For First Time.
Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat congratulated Maj Gen (R) for his achievement. The Indian Army tweeted, “#OurVeteran #OurPride General Bipin Rawat #COAS congratulates Major General Vikram Dogra (Retired), who successfully completed an Ironman Triathlon, beating his own record at the gruelling event in #Germany.”
Indian Army’s Tweet:
#OurVeteran #OurPride General Bipin Rawat #COAS congratulates Major General Vikram Dogra (Retired), who successfully completed an Ironman Triathlon, beating his own record at the gruelling event in #Germany. pic.twitter.com/4DhdNdyL7w
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) July 31, 2019
The ‘Ironman’ is an international competition which consists of three events which including 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km cycling and 42.2 km of running. It is regarded as the toughest one-day sporting event in the world. The participants need to complete its all three events within 17 hours. Only after completing the event within the required timeframe, participants can earn the title of ‘Ironman’. IMA POP Spring Term 2019: Identical Twins Commissioned Into Indian Army After Completing Training From Indian Military Academy.
According to the retired army officer said, this year swimming organised in Lake Alster was the most difficult of all three loops. Speaking to IANS, he said, “The lake was not clean. The water was full of algae and almost black in appearance. There were pieces of algae floating all around. Lot of athletes lost their way in the first loop itself.” Maj Gen (R) further added that during cycling also participants faced challenge as it was a hot day with a windspeed of around 40 kmph and they had to pedal against the wind most of the time.
In July 2018, the general-rank officer participated in the triathlon held in Austria’s Klagenfurt. Maj Gen (R) Dogra had also commanded an Armoured Brigade on the western front with Pakistan and an Infantry Division in a Strike Corps. The Sword of Honour and Gold Medalist winner of the December 1981 batch got commissioned into the Poona Horse Regiment.
(Picture Courtesy: Twitter/Indian Army)
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