New Delhi: Just a few days after arriving in Gumi, South Korea, for the Asian Championships, Pooja Singh encountered an unforeseen obstacle. One of her boots ripped during a training session. The backup pair didn't provide her the necessary traction on the course.

Following a conversation about the problem with her coach Balwan Singh, Pooja chose to continue with her jumps on Friday by taping the broken spikes. This wasn't the hardest challenge she had encountered, having been raised in a household that was financially strapped, learned to high jump over bamboo bars, and landed on mats made of paddy straw (parali).

It was just another obstacle she had to overcome on her difficult path. At the Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea, Pooja gave an excellent display of assurance on Friday as she approached the high jump bar.

In one of the most challenging sports, the 18-year-old won a hard-earned gold for India without displaying any anxiety. She won her first significant international medal by clearing 1.89 meters for her personal best and an U20 national record. Pooja then attempted to break the national record by raising the mark to 1.92 meters (Sahana Kumari, 2012), but she was unable to do so after sealing the gold. At the same height (on countback), Yelizaveta Matveyeva of Kazakhstan took the bronze medal, while Safina Sadullaeva of Uzbekistan took the silver with a score of 1.86 meters.

“I was having fun and my body felt great. The competition was great. I came within a whisker of breaking the national record of 1.92 meters. Nonetheless, I am pleased to have achieved my personal best of 1.89 meters and taken home a gold medal in such a prestigious event, according to Pooja.

Pooja, the daughter of a mason from Fatehabad, Haryana, who came from a low-income household, has had a difficult life, but she has become a promising talent in Indian sports in recent years. Her continuous improvement has been remarkable, as evidenced by her national records in the Under-16, Under-18, and Under-20 age categories.

Indian athletes maintained their stellar performances on the track even as Pooja excelled on the field. The 5,000m race, which he won with a championship record of 13:24.77, saw Gulveer Singh run to his second gold medal of the competition in spectacular fashion.

Gulveer demonstrated excellent command and a fantastic final lap after winning the gold medal in the 10,000 meters on the first day. Gulveer, Kieran Tuntivate of Thailand (silver), and Nagiya Mori of Japan (bronze) were side by side with two laps remaining.

Despite the other two closing in to challenge him, Gulveer accelerated the tempo and continued to press forward in vain. The Asian Championships record of 13:34.47, which was established by Al Garni Mohamed of Qatar in 2015, was surpassed by Gulveer's winning time of 13:24.77.

In the heptathlon, Nandini Agasara won the third medal of the day. After the first day, Nandini was in the lead. She fell to second position on Friday following her javelin throw of 34.18 meters, but she recovered well and triumphed in the 800-meter event.

She finished with 5941 points, beating Cai Juan Chen of Taipei (5608 points) and Liu Jingyi of China (5869 points). After Swapna Barman (2017) and Soma Biswas (2005), Nandini, the Asian Games bronze medalist, is only the third Indian heptathlete to win the continental title.

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Parul Chaudhary gave it her all and won the silver medal. She improved the national record with a time of 9:12.96, despite not being able to defend her title. The 2022 world champion, Norah Jeruto Tanui of Kazakhstan, dominated the competition by taking the lead from the beginning and establishing a new meet record (9:10.46).

Sachin Yadav (79.62m) and Yashvir Singh (76.67m) both qualified for the final event in javelin, which is set for Saturday. Arshad Nadeem, the Pakistani Olympic champion, threw 86.34 meters in the qualifying round, placing first overall in his first competition since the Paris high.

But Pooja won the day for India by winning a medal to cherish. Her journey has been really inspiring.

With the very least resources available, former sprinter Pooja was trained by Coach Balwan Singh at his academy, Parta Sports Academy. He sought help from others, innovated, and attempted to replicate his ward's enthusiasm. Prior to focusing on high jump, Pooja practiced gymnastics and yoga. Her explosive pace and flexibility were ideal for the high jump. Furthermore, she is really disciplined and has never skipped a day of practice in all these years.

“Raising her from the grassroots to this point has been a challenging endeavor. The resources were few. She received complete support from her family, even if they were not affluent. "We maintained moving one step at a time, making plans for her diet and shoes, and occasionally soliciting sponsorships from my friends," he said.

Pooja remembered the times when it was difficult to even acquire a decent landing pad.

During a chat on Friday, Pooja stated, "I have worked really hard and struggled to get here, and my parents and coach have been there for me every step of the way."

"I switched to high jump in 2019. "At the beginning, we didn't have a mat, and I practiced on bags full of parali (rice stubble)," she stated. "I trained like that for two to three years until my coach set up an old mat for me. On it, I shattered the U-16 national record (1.76m)."

Her early challenges have provided her with the mental tenacity that will continue to support her as she overcomes higher and higher obstacles. The bar has been raised, without a doubt.

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