Having clinched the gold medal in Women’s Heptathlon at the Asian Games 2018, Swapna Barman has become our superstar overnight. For her, pain is the best motivator. She finished with her personal best score of 6026, not letting a killing toothache come in the way of glory. The score included her personal best record of 50.63m in javelin throw.
Immediately after her gold medal win, the sporting sensation issued a plea for shoes that fit her. So what's the big deal about shoes, you may ask. A lot, considering that Swapna has six toes on each foot. "Normal shoes don't work for me. There is lot of pain when I wear any shoe, spikes or anything," she said after clinching gold late on Wednesday, NDTV reported.
Six toes on each foot increase the width of her feet, making her jumping event difficult.
The 21-year-old has given India a purpose to love an underrated sport, winning the first ever gold medal in Heptathlon at Asiad. And Swapna is only the fifth woman to cross 6000 points! All these achievements came along because she ignored the fact that her jaw was bandaged during the event and only aimed to reach the finishing line.
She won the event not because of the number of toes she has, but because she was willing to risk it all to achieve the inevitable. The grit, hard work and determination bettered her performance.
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Here are few facts about the golden girl that will stun you:
- Before the Asian Games glory came in her lap, the daughter of a rickshaw-puller was taking care of her bedridden father for the past couple of years. They struggle each day to make ends meet.
- The Jalpaiguri-girl had amassed 5178 points in her debut Asiad appearance in Incheon four years ago. Last year, she had won the gold at the Asian Athletics Championships, marking her territory as one of the finest athletes in the country.
“By winning this gold medal, I have achieved my dreams and fulfilled my coach’s hopes. I was injured but I practised a lot to fulfil the hopes of my loved ones,” said Swapna after her Asiad 2018 win, India.com reported.
The joy of winning:
Congratulations Swapna!
Image Credit: Sportstarlive
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