Annu Rani, India’s new javelin queen
The goal to cross 63 metres eventually spoiled my rhythm. Instead of gaining momentum, I got a bit conscious and slowed down. ANNU RANI, Indian javelin thrower
navneet.singh@htlive.com
NEW DELHI: International javelin thrower Annu Rani, 27, didn’t medal in Doha—she finished eighth in the final on Tuesday— but a winner she certainly is.
For improving her national record to 62.43m in the qualifiers on Monday, for being the first Indian woman in a javelin final at the worlds, for taking in her stride parental pressure to quit the sport, for hurdling over problems stemming from patriarchy that ran deep in her village Bahadurpur in western Uttar Pradesh, Rani is a winner.
In the medal round, Rani said a ‘bit of pressure’ stymied plans to raise the bar. She eventually managed a best of 61.12m. Australia’s Kelsey Lee Barber bested the field with a throw of 66.56m, Chinese Shiuing Liu took home silver with her season’s best of 65.88m. Liu’s compatriot Huihui Lyu bagged bronze with 65.49m.
“The goal to cross 63m eventually spoiled my rhythm,” said Rani, over the phone from Doha.
“Instead of gaining momentum in the last few strides before the release of the javelin, I got a bit conscious and slowed down. That ultimately upset my rhythm and I couldn’t accomplish the task of achieving a good result in the final.”
Rani started with a modest throw of 59.52m and pushed hard in the second to reach 61.12m, her best for the night. She registered 60.20m and 60.40m in the third and fourth attempts respectively but managed 58.47m and 57.93m in the fifth and sixth.
“That happened due to a technical flaw. I wasn’t able to progressively increase speed of my run up,” said Rani.
Coming from a conservative family of farmers, Rani, the youngest of the five siblings, didn’t get the same privilege as her brothers while growing up. There were times when she wasn’t allowed to take part in competitions. Funds were also a problem.
It was only later that Upendra Singh, her eldest brother, helped and supported her. “Our father would constantly say ‘what is the need to travel outside the house for sports. It will be waste of money,’” said Singh.
“It was difficult till 2014 when I won bronze at the Incheon Asian Games,” she said.
When Rani landed a job in 2010 with the Railways in Mumbai— also the time her career in javelin was moving forward—she wasn’t allowed to join.
“Parents didn’t like the idea of her staying far from home,” said her brother. Things started changing when Kashinath Naik, the 2012 Delhi Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in men’s javelin throw, agreed to train Rani. “We were in touch with Naik for the past one year and when he agreed, we packed our bags and rushed to Patiala,” said Rani.
Since Rani wasn’t an established name in the domestic circuit then—a fundamental criteria to select athletes for national camps—she didn’t get the approval from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to join the camp where board and lodging would have been free. Rani stayed on her own outside the National Institute of Sport. “It was tough for us as we had meagre financial resources,” said her brother.
The decision to guide Rani too drew flak, said Naik. “What will this diminutive girl do in javelin... so on. But her will to do something drove her to success,” said Naik. “I could only help her in the afternoon when I wasn’t training the elite group.”
Her first year at Patiala was tough but with single-mindedness in training, Rani almost willed things into place. In 2013, she got a job with Railways (Patiala) through sports quota.
“It made me financially independent. It was a big help,” she said. The next year turned out to be a turning point as Rani won gold at the inter-state meet at Lucknow with a throw of 58.83m, which also bettered the previous record.
The performance got her chosen for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Rani finished eighth with 56.37m. Later that year, she won bronze at Incheon Asian games with a throw of 59.53m. She improved to 60.01m in 2016, becoming the first Indian women to cross the 60m barrier.
Rani also took bronze at the 2017 Asian Championships at Bhubaneswar with a throw of 57.32m. The London World Championships was a disappointment, Rani finishing 20th with a throw of 59.93m. Podium finish also eluded her in the 2018 Asian Games.
But Rani’s achievements have inspired the next generation in the village, said her brother. “It has also changed the mindset of the parents in the village and they are encouraging girls to take up sports. Arju, who is 16, is one of them. She has been selected for the junior national camp. She won bronze in the national javelin throw event at Sonepat in Haryana in April, with a mark of 29.74m.
“My overall graph has been steady. It motivates me to train hard and I aim to crack 64m which is the qualifying mark to win a berth for 2020 Tokyo Olympic,” said Rani.