Asian champion at 18, Pooja has desires, huge and excessive

Pooja clinched gold within the excessive soar occasion on the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
| Photograph Credit score: AFI/Particular Association

She had already assured herself of gold along with her first soar itself on the 1.89m mark however Pooja wasn’t finished but. The 18-year previous, newly topped champion on the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi (South Korea), wished extra – the nationwide report, to be exact.

There was no gradual improve within the peak of the bar; she set it straight at 1.92m, the mark held by Sahana Kumari since 2012 and the continental lead this 12 months. Though Pooja couldn’t clear that, her development story has all of the indicators of the teenager doing it ahead of later.

Having began significantly solely in 2019 after being into yoga and gymnastics earlier than that, Pooja already has the Underneath-16, Underneath-18 and Underneath-20 nationwide information towards her identify. “My physique was feeling actually good right this moment and I nearly cleared 1.92m additionally however missed by just a bit. Not dissatisfied, although, I’m completely satisfied to get my first senior medal and a private finest at 1.89m and I’m positive I’ll do it in future,” Pooja mentioned in an interplay from Gumi on Friday.

The mark additionally places her second in Asia this 12 months and contained in the top-50 on the planet, an enormous achievement for somebody who began with sacks full of stubble waste to substitute for prime soar mats. What it doesn’t do is masks the laughing teenager she is off the sector.

“I used to be anticipating 1.85 plus however gold wasn’t assured. She has finished wonderful contemplating her age and he or she is growing yearly. She continues to be solely 18, she’s going to develop and there may be time however she could be a superb excessive jumper,” chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair mentioned.

“I’m the youngest within the squad right here however everybody treats me properly. It’s not like they don’t take me significantly as a result of I’m a child. It feels good but it surely’s not that I’m shy or overawed. There’s deal with the game but additionally quite a lot of enjoyable off the sector. I turned a champion right this moment however for the seniors, I’m nonetheless a child solely,” she laughed however the focus is evident – qualifying for LA28 and hopefully a medal.