Manju Rani: Initial opposition from family, financial constraints made it difficult to live, now India’s name has been illuminated – manju rani athelete became India’s number one walking player
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He said, ‘One day while drinking tea, father agreed but told me not to stain the honor of the family.’ Manju kept her promise and brought laurels to her family and Punjab by becoming the first Indian woman to complete the 35 kilometer race walk in less than three hours. He clocked 2:57:54 in the National Race Walking Championships in Ranchi in February, which was enough to qualify for the Asian Games.
Taking part in the Inter-State National Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar, Manju again won the gold medal but due to scorching heat, she completed the competition in a time of 3 hours 21 minutes and 31 seconds. Although Manju initially wanted to become a handball player. She also appeared in the selection trials in the school but did not perform as expected.
Then there a coach advised him to try his luck in walking. Manju said, ‘I had never participated in walking before but I managed to finish third. The coach was impressed by my performance and advised me to go to a better place and train if I want to become a better player.
He said, ‘My father supported and my journey started in 2015. Within three months, I won a bronze medal in the state level junior championship. After this, I got a silver medal in the National School Games. I stayed at Badal Kendra till 2017.
Manju’s family, especially her grandmother, is proud of her. He said, ‘He is proud of me. Now they say that every family should have a daughter like me. The protest regarding my training was only for a month. I have full support of my family. Asked why she chose to walk, Manju said, “While running, you have to lift your knee in a certain way. But even when I used to run, it felt like I was walking. My coach Preetpal Kaur noticed this and suggested that I should train as a walking player.
However, Manju also faced financial challenges. Her father had to mortgage his land while Manju also had to take a personal loan of Rs eight lakh in 2019. He is looking for a sponsor so that the cost of training can be met.
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