Brave Hearts

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Eye Care Foundation

Page 79

The Brave Hearts
On 12th March 1969, the day of his redemption finally arrived when he was to prove his mettle again and astonish everyone. On that day in the young Pioneers Indoor Stadium in Moscow, the capital city of the USSR, Brumel started jumping with the same style and prowess with which he used to jump before the accident. He jumped eighteen times successively. Every time the height was being raised. He finally attained the height of two meters, thereby fulfilling his long cherished desire. His happiness knew no bounds. In the past he had established world records and also broke the records he himself had established. But never was he as happy as he was today. This had put a positive stamp on his glorious comeback. Seeing his last hit, a correspondent wrote, 'We have seen a miracle with our own eyes today, a miracle that was the culmination of unending courage and a very strong willpower.'
His 2 meter high jump on that day was by no means an ordinary one. He was only 9 cm. behind the height that was achieved that day by Valentin Garvilov, Valery's compatriot and the reigning European Champion. It was true that Garvilov had won the event, but Valery Brumel who stood second got the same applause and respect that were in store for the winners.
In the spring of 1970, Brumel again sustained a serious injury. This time it was the muscle of the left foot knee that was involved. In such cases, the participant gives up and retires from the event permanently. This is because the competitor has to undergo complicated operations to be normal again. For Valery Brumel, everything except high jump could be sacrificed.
For the sake of his love for the sport, Brumel had voluntarily undergone a series of operations, some of them
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