Meet Kajal Sharma, a student enrolled in Bachelor of Arts Course in Lucknow University. She is going to be awarded the Pirie Memorial Golf for being the best sportsperson during the convocation ceremony to be held on January 21. Kajal has won 20 medals in steeplechase running at the national level, including medals in the 3 km steeplechase in Khelo India 2022, Bengaluru, Cross-Country National 2020 and 2021, and others.

Kajal's village didn't have school, road, or electricity facilities. She is the daughter of a marginal farmer from Hapur's Kandola village. She lived in a house including a two-room set only sharing it with seven siblings. Her father began to train her for the sport when she was only 10. In a typical conservative mindset, this would mean breaking the stereotypes.

She adds, 'My father faced a lot of opposition from my relatives, friends and other villagers. People raised their eyes on my character. They would say that the girl must be running in the dark with boys while her dad sits idle.'

She used to wake early in the dawn and run until 7 am in the morning. There were several occasions when they were chased by the dogs in the dark during their practice hours. Around 8 am, she would pedal her bicycle for some 4 km to another village to study at a government school where she met Prashant. The latter told her that there are hostel trials conducted by KD Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow, and if she qualified there, her training and education would be carried out for free. That was one of the first obstacles Kajal crossed in her life's steeplechase. She stayed in the hostel for the next two years. Being done with her schooling, she plunged into the national athletics scene.

After securing a gold run at the nationals, she joined LU's BA course in 2020. Prashant who gave up his own athletics career to shape hers is now her fiance.

She said, 'I dedicate this medal to my father and my fiance Prashant.'

Kajal now sets her eyes on a medal in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

Examples such as that of the struggle of Kajal's connote the idea that our passion for something automatically creates a path for itself. It's just that we need to take the initial steps. We extend our heartiest congratulations to this daughter of a landless farmer with prayers that she secures many more laurels in the times to come.

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Reference:

• m.timesofindia.com
• www.hindustantimes.com