At World Masters Games, Shreya did it for India for the first time
Overcoming all odds, Shreya Jadhav, 35, has become the first Indian woman to win a gold and bronze medal at the World Masters Games 2017 at Auckland in New Zealand. Jadhav completed the 5000 metre race in 27 minutes and won a gold medal while completed the 1500 metre race in 5 minutes to win a bronze medal.
Working as a senior office assistant at Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution (MSEB) at Bandra, Jadhav was selected to compete at this competition after she won two medals at the World Master Games at Sri Lanka. This was the first time that Jadhav represented India at Auckland for a competition which is hosted once in every four years.
The World Master Games 2017 at Auckland consisted of sports events like football, swimming, squash, badminton, basketball and many more along with athletic events. Around 200 Indians participated in this competition which caters to the age group between 30 to 70 years. Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Jadhav said, “There were over 25,000 participants from over 100 countries who participated in this event. It was an honour to represent India and win these medals at such a competition that has a fixed age group for participants.”
Participating in this competition was a tough decision for Jadhav as her father passed away on the same day when she had to leave for the competition.
“My father was sick and he passed away on April 17. I had to leave on that same midnight for this competition as my flight was booked for that day. It was a difficult decision but my family supported me,” Jadhav added.
Jadhav, who is a mother of two kids, practises every day by running and exercising for two hours early in the morning. Jadhav said, “Every woman should at least run on a daily basis to keep herself fit. Even if one is not an athlete or not keen on sports competition, running will help you to stay fit.”