Pooja Singh has had a rapid rise in stature as one of India's brightest talents in Indian athletics over the last couple of years.Pooja, a high jumper, broke the women's national record in the event earlier this year, leaping over a 1.93m bar at the U20 Asian Athletics Championships.Early daysBorn on February 21, 2007, in Bosti village, Fatehabad district, Haryana, Pooja Singh comes from a humble family. Her father works as a mason, and her journey in athletics began with very limited resources. Pooja initially trained in gymnastics before her coach, Balwan Singh Patra, spotted her speed and jumping ability during a government run yoga camp in 2018. He encouraged her to take up the high jump, and the decision proved to be a turning point in her career. Without proper training facilities, Pooja practised using a bamboo pole and sacks filled with rice husks as a landing area. She also travelled nearly 12km every day from her village to neighbouring village to train under her coach. Before choosing the high jump, she had tried several sports, including kabaddi, kho-kho, gymnastics and yoga. High jump eventually became the sport where she found her calling. Her first competitive high jump event was a local meet where she cleared 90cm. Soon after, she won her first gold medal in the under-14 category with a jump of 1.41m, giving an early glimpse of her potential.Rise through the ranksPooja's steady improvement soon brought success at the national level. In 2022, she won the gold medal at the Junior National Championships in Guwahati, setting a new under-16 national record with a jump of 1.76m. Her breakthrough came the following year. She won gold at the Asian U18 Championships in Tashkent with 1.77m, followed it with a silver medal at the Asian U20 Championships in South Korea…
This report has been adapted by the PurePlay Sports Desk from coverage by The Bridge, The Hindu Sportstar, NDTV Sports.