Indians making it big at winter sports in the Olympics is supposed to be a rare and comparatively modern sporting trend. However, few Indians know that alpine skiing, which involves skiing around flags or markers, has a history of international participation older than any winter sport from our country. Someone from India participated in this category in the Winter Olympics in 1964! What’s more, he was actually born in our country from Polish globetrotter parents. Let’s look back at the forgotten, but inspiring, history of Jerry Bujakowski, officially the first Indian to have participated in the Winter Olympics.
Who was Jerry Bujakowski and how did he become an Indian?
Jeremy John Bujakowski was born on March 30, 1939, in Druskininkai, Lithunia. His parents were adventurous globe-trotters who travelled by motorcycle from Druskininkai to Shanghai between 1934 to 1936. Jerry’s father started working for the oil industry a few years later, and the small family moved to India. Little Jerry was 7 years old then. He studied from St Joseph’s North Point school in Darjeeling, and then St. Xavier’s College Kolkata. He was a citizen of India by then. Next, Jerry moved to USA for higher studies, and that’s where he became a serious alpine skier.
What happened to Jerry at the Winter Olympics of 1964?
While Jerry managed to qualify for the Olympics being held at Innsbrook, Austria that year, he was fated for disaster. He suffered an accident which left him with a broken back, a fractured leg, concussions and internal haemorrhages. It took 4 surgeries over the next 18 months to just get him back in working condition again. But soon after, Jerry was back at the field with one ski on the right leg and his left leg still in plaster cast.
Did Jerry get a second chance at an international competition?
In 1968, Jerry returned to represent India at the Winter Olympics again at France. Though he did not do well, it’s important that he at all managed to ski downhill again. He was again the only Indian athlete at the event. This was not all. The same year, i.e. in 1968, Jerry represented India at the World Surfing Championships. Though he did not win a medal, he did quite well. Judges and spectators were surprised to see Jerry wearing sneakers on the surfboard though. He later said he was scared of being stung by sea urchins, and preferred protecting his feet, even if it meant dragging the heavy wet sneakers while surfing.