CHENNAI: Every now and then sport can spin ever-inspiring storylines. It can be refreshing and uplifting in equal measures. Meghana Sajjanar's tale of grit and courage is one such perfect example. Eight months into her pregnancy, the rifle shooter from Bengaluru captured an individual bronze and a team gold at the ongoing Asian Championship at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on Sunday.
Despite the monumental challenges that comes with pregnancy, the 32-year-old displayed her mental fortitude to hang with some of the best in her craft in the eight-woman final. It was Elavenil Valarivan, one of India's most consistent shooters in the women's 10m air rifle category over the years, who took the top honours. But the spotlight was on Meghana, who produced some high returns in the high-pressure final to finish third.
Before that, she had stood for well over an hour during the qualification stage.
It's no wonder that her efforts caught the attention of fellow champion athlete PV Sindhu, who gave Meghana her flowers. "Eight months pregnant and still stepping onto the range to win a bronze medal. Meghna, my friend, watching you do this fills me with so much respect and admiration. You remind us that strength comes in many forms and that courage and heart always find a way," Sindhu posted on social media.
"Powerful women like you don't just inspire, you make all of us believe a little more. Keep flying and keep inspiring."
Meghana has been representing the country since 2017 but had been in the background due to stiff competition within the national team. But the fortunes have been smiling on her in recent times. When she was just a few months into her pregnancy last year, she had captured her first individual World Cup medal (bronze) in Ningbo, China.
"She has been on the rise. In China last year, she grabbed her chance to return with a medal. Hers is an incredible story. She was really strong during the finals today (Saturday)," Deepali Deshpande, the head coach of the national rifle team who has been one of the support casts in her journey, reflected.
Rakesh Manpat, her personal coach, has been one of the biggest influences in her shooting, having been imparting lessons on and off since 2009-10. Pregnancy had only amplified her task. She had to adjust to changes in her anatomy and the coach said that she has been dealing with it ably.
"There have been challenges for sure in all sense, psychological and physical preparation or equipment aspects. But I think all credit goes to her in terms of how she has managed herself. She kept that belief in herself. Also the federation put faith in her as the team medal was also at stake. And she was able to keep up and deliver gold for the team. That was also very important," Rakesh said.
"We should also thank national coach Deepali ma'am (Deshpande), who has been a great support. The foreign coach has also been really supportive. These guys are the unsung heroes."
The coach said apart from the national team coaches and support staff, her mother, who travels with her frequently, has also been catering to her needs. The medical staff have also been closely keeping tabs on her. Her mother was formerly into teaching while her father works for an engineering firm in Bengaluru. When asked about her strongest attribute, the coach summed it up with one word — diligent.
Her diligence and perseverance is what had aided her when she was struggling to stay afloat earlier in her career. Till last year, she was facing challenges in regards to funding.
"She used to shoot world record scores in state-level matches but she had been unable to convert those in national level matches. She would come 50th or 100th in the nationals. That is the point when she had to decide whether to pursue the sport or choose a career outside. Last year also, she had funding crises. Thanks to Ayushmann Khurrana (actor and singer), he came forward to support her. Sponsors have come in between and have not been throughout. These are the existing challenges which we are trying to address and hopefully, she'll continue her career ahead," Rakesh said.
Meghana is now expected to be away from the sport for six months or so. The coach is confident that she'll return stronger.