Neversaydie spirit pays off for Sudha Singh
JAKARTA: Sudha Singh has long been called the pioneer of 3000m steeplechase in the country. So overriding has been her presence in one of the most gruelling events in athletics that she continues to rule even at 32.
Winner of the 2010 Asian Games gold at Guangzhou, and coming close to clinching bronze at the 2014 Games at Incheon, Sudha was told by pundits that her time was up. However, she believed in her abilities even when many top coaches shut the door on her following two disappointing years when her performance plummeted.
On Monday, she was back celebrating silver at the Asian Games with a time of 9:40.03, after being denied gold by Bahrain’s Yavi Winfred, who clocked 9:36.42.
“Everybody gave up on me. They asked me to quit before I lost goodwill. With a string of dismal performances and age catching up, there were not many people willing to train me”.
However, the turnaround happened in February, when competing in the Mumbai Marathon, she overcame cramps to emerge the best Indian in the event. Thereafter, her journey for a second Asian Games medal started. “I felt I still had it in me to win another Asian Games medal. Today, I was running to win a medal, whatever colour, I wasn’t bothered,” said Sudha soon after winning the medal, which she said is at par with the 2010 Guangzhou gold for the resilience and the “way I fought”.
“The 2014 Games was a disappointment as I finished fourth (behind Lalita Babar) despite lopping off nearly 10 seconds from the 2010 Games timing. I thank the people who stood by me in my most testing times… coaches who kept the faith in me,” said Sudha, who hails from Uttar Pradesh.