Asian champion at 18, Pooja has dreams, big and high

Pooja clinched gold in the high jump event at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
| Photo Credit: AFI/Special Arrangement

She had already assured herself of gold with her first jump itself at the 1.89m mark but Pooja wasn’t done yet. The 18-year old, newly crowned champion at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi (South Korea), wanted more – the national record, to be precise.

There was no gradual increase in the height of the bar; she set it straight at 1.92m, the mark held by Sahana Kumari since 2012 and the continental lead this year. Although Pooja couldn’t clear that, her growth story has all the signs of the youngster doing it sooner than later.

Having started seriously only in 2019 after being into yoga and gymnastics before that, Pooja already has the Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 national records against her name. “My body was feeling really good today and I almost cleared 1.92m also but missed by just a little. Not disappointed, though, I am happy to get my first senior medal and a personal best at 1.89m and I am sure I will do it in future,” Pooja said in an interaction from Gumi on Friday.

The mark also puts her second in Asia this year and inside the top-50 in the world, a big achievement for someone who started with sacks filled with stubble waste to substitute for high jump mats. What it doesn’t do is mask the giggling teenager she is off the field.

“I was expecting 1.85 plus but gold wasn’t assured. She has done excellent considering her age and she is developing every year. She is still only 18, she will grow and there is time but she can be a very good high jumper,” chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair said.

“I am the youngest in the squad here but everyone treats me nicely. It’s not like they don’t take me seriously because I am a kid. It feels good but it’s not that I am shy or overawed. There is focus on the sport but also a lot of fun off the field. I became a champion today but for the seniors, I am still a kid only,” she laughed but the focus is clear – qualifying for LA28 and hopefully a medal.