Way to go: Hurdler takes down all obstacles to have glimpse of a bright future ahead

Strap: Neha, an athlete, has gone through real rough times to turn around fortunes

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 10

She is the face of inspiration for other girls, be it her classmates or around neighbourhood.

Neha, a class XII student at Government Sr Sec School (Girls), Adarsh Nagar, is a 400m hurdle athlete. Those who have seen her in action know what she is capable of. “When she started, Neha didn’t even have proper shoes and would run bare feet!” shares Sharandeep Kaur, her physical education teacher from school.

She comes from a humble background. Her father is a factory worker and mother’s a house help. But Neha’s potential as an athlete was the real deal from the very beginning. And Sharandeep was well aware. In fact, her belief in the girl was so strong that she took the matter to the school management and got her shoes.

“I decided that we must do something for the girl so that she doesn’t have to face any obstacle,” the teacher said. She would take Neha along with other girls to practice at Sports College.

All the blood, sweat and tears came to fruition when she won medals at state-level tournaments. She stood fourth in National School Games. Apart from this, she won a bronze at the Indian Grandprix Athletic Meet, held in Panchkula last year.

“I noticed that Neha was extremely hard working. Whatever help we can provide, we do. The only aim is to see her achieving in life,” told Sunil Kamboj, her coach at Sports College, adding that despite problems in her family, she has achieved so much already.

Meanwhile, Biresh Singh, the girl’s father, is same as her. He looks beyond the hurdles of life and says, “There are problems, but who doesn’t have them? So, I really don’t sit and think about it. Neha’s teachers and coach help her a lot. I have set her free. No matter what I go through, I always ask her to play and work hard and become something in life,” he said.