Nidhin Valsan’s inspiring tale of beating cancer and completing Ironman triathlon

An IPS office from Goa, Nidhin Valsan set a major example of grit, fortitude and relentlessness as he not only defeated cancer, but also went on to complete the difficult Ironman triathlon race in 2022.

Nidhin Valsan found himself at a very odd stage in life when the cancer in his body was discovered. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that generally develops in the lympathic system.

This had made regular activities quite difficult for him and it also got in the way of his duty as an IPS office. Valsan is the superintendent of police (crime branch) and handles the sensitive cases of land grabbing in Goa.

Not one to be deterred by the odds stacked against him, Valsan rebelled and thanks to his indomitable spirit, he eventually won the battle against cancer in February 2022. It was there that he had received the ‘medical all clear’ from health experts and professionals and was asked to continue life as usual, although with a few precautions.

But Valsan wanted to set an example. He enrolled himself in the Ironman triathlon race and prepared extensively for it. When the day came, he made it count and stole the hearts of the audience with his outstanding showcase of strength and will power.

“I thought if I am able to do this, I will be able to show the world what one can achieve and hopefully show to everyone that cancer is not an impossible disease to fight,” Valsan told reporters after finishing the Ironman 70.3 race in Panaji on Sunday while competing with more than 1,400 other participants.

Not only did he complete the entire race, but the IPS office took eight hours, three minutes and 40 seconds to get to the finish line which was within the stipulated time according to the organisers.

There were a total of 1,450 participants in the triathlon, which included 1.9 km of open sea swimming, 90 km of cycling and 21 km of run.

This was the first instance of him participating in the Ironman triathlon. He had earlier participated in a half-marathon in Delhi in 2014.

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