KANNIYAKUMARI: 21-year-old disabled athlete Sameeha Barvin, who clinched the gold and silver medals in 100m hurdles and long jump respectively at the 10th Asia-Pacific Deaf Games recently, has garnered much praise for her achievement, although her path towards this recognition has been marked by many struggles, said Barvin's family members.
Born to N Mujib and N Salamath, a couple from Kadayalamoodu near Thirparappu in Kanniyakumari district, Barvin lost her ability to speak and hear when she turned six. Her father, who runs a modest restaurant, had sold their ancestral house for her treatment, but to no avail.
She was then enrolled in a deaf and dumb school, and subsequently admitted to Class six at the St Joseph Convent in Nagarcoil. According to Salamath, it was during Barvin's time at the convent she began showing interest in athletics, mainly due to encouragement from her teachers.
The same encouragement helped her 'climb the ladder' in the sport after she went on to study BA Economics at the MOP Vaishnav college in Chennai. Besides, E Nalvin Raja, a coach from Kanniyakumari, also provided free coaching to Barvin, Salamath added.
Raja told TNIE that Barvin, highly talented in high jump, long jump and hurdles, regularly brought home gold medals from national-level events.
Stating that her daughter's journey towards her recent wins at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was not at all easy, Salamath alleged that right before attending the games, Barvin was subjected to psychological abuse by a male coach at an athletics camp in the national capital last month. Following the intervention of Kanniyakumari MP Vijay Vasanth, a new coach was appointed, she added, urging the Sports Authority of India to appoint a female coach and physical trainer for female athletics like Barvin during international events.
In 2021, Barvin also faced issues of alleged gender discrimination that nearly prevented her from entering the World Deaf Athletics Championships. She later qualified for participation in the 2023 Paralympics as well. If she is trained and supported properly, she has the potential to win gold in the 2025 Deaflympics and World Deaf Athletics Championships, coach Raja said.