Jumping hurdles, one at a time: Sapna sets off to chase her dream

She ran from one doctor to another in her native state of Jharkhand, then travelled to Delhi, and flew all the way down to Kerala in search for a proper treatment for her shin bone fracture. Everywhere, though, she was given the same diagnosis. 'It will heal on its own'. Sapna Kumari was losing hope; in her own words, she was sinking into depression. “I thought of quitting sports,” she recalls.

But everything changed when she received her job letter from CISF in 2018.

Today, Sapna Kumari is one of India's hottest prospects in the 100m hurdles alongside Jyothi Yarraji, and stood second (behind Yarraji) in the recently-concluded Indian Grand Prix 3 in Bengaluru.

An athlete's success is often the result of years of dedication, hard work, and sacrifices. But in the case of 23-year-old Sapna Kumari, it not only includes her set of sacrifices but also those of her sister -- who took an incredibly selfless decision to put aside her own passions and dreams for the sake of another. Hindustan Times sat with the Indian track and field athlete as she took a detailed look at her career so far, and her aspirations.

Tell us about your journey. How did you enter athletics?

I’ve an elder sister, she was also an athlete. I was not an athlete at the time, but she inspired me to take up sports. She used to take me to grounds and I really like that. When I frequently practiced at the ground, Rajeev Ranjan Singh noticed me, and eventually became my first coach. He used to say that I will do great in athletics. But my mother was against both of us taking up sports. We are four siblings, and mother wanted everyone to focus on studies. But it wasn’t possible. Eventually, my sister left sports for me. In 2013, I was selected for Sports Authority of India and trialled for Long Jump.

But sooner, SAI coach Vinod Kumar Singh urged me to take up hurdles. When I was at home, mother used to hide my shoes, but I went to the ground regardless. When I used to return home, I used to sneak inside, fearing that she would hit me. Many people used to tell my mother to not let me pursue sports because it wasn’t for girls, and that she would start interacting with boys and stuff like that. But once I started winning medals, my mother eventually allowed me to continue. She supported me, and my father also joined in.

Now that you’re an India athlete, it all must have changed for you…

Everyone is very happy. My mother keeps waiting for me to come home. Now, she cooks what I want to eat! In 2018, I had come home after the World Championships, but soon I faced a leg injury. My mother used to be very tense after that because I couldn’t recover completely from that. It didn’t get fully healed until 2021 and throughout that time, I faced some hardships. People used to say that she had her leg broken, now what will she do? I didn’t have a full time job either, so my mother was very disturbed.

It was a very struggling time for me, but mother tried her best to get me treated. I went to Kerala, Delhi, and consulted many doctors in Jharkhand, but no one could really pin point the perfect treatment for the injury.

What exactly was the injury?

I had a shin bone injury, it was a hairline fracture. It was a normal fracture but it troubled me a lot. At one point, I thought I would leave sports. Doctors also said that it would heal on its own, we can’t do anything. I packed my bags and left for home. I sunk into depression because I didn’t have a job as well, as I didn’t focus on studies because of sports. But then, I received a joining letter from CISF that came as a blessing at the time. When I went there, I just don’t know how… by god’s grace, or by blessings of my family, I started to feel better as I did my practice sessions. In a few months, I was fit again.

Was it hard returning to the track after that injury?

My coach at SAI used to motivate me a lot. I had joined CISF on sports quota. I started with jogging, and my sister, mother and father motivated me a lot. When I took part in my first hurdles, I was very scared. I thought I would go to hospital the moment I feel some pain. Sometimes, I still feel some pain at shin bone but it isn’t related to fracture. But regardless, the physios there keep a special eye on my fitness and attend to my shin bone pain whenever it happens.

You mentioned that you started with long jump. Why did you switch to 100m hurdles?

In 3-4 months, you usually make some improvement in a particular category. But there wasn’t any visible improvement for me in Long Jump. I personally didn’t believe I could make a future in that, and my coach also thought the same. There was a senior at the academy who used to do hurdles at the time, and I began following her. In the inter-district nationals the next year (2014), I won the gold medal and I grew more confident that this is where I could make a future. It has been 9 years since then.

How did James Hiller approach you for Reliance Foundation?

When I was injured, James sir messaged me on Facebook. He said that there were trials in November and he wanted me to be part of Reliance Foundation. I used to look at Jyothi at the time and I always used to think that if I get the opportunity, I could really make a mark. I was very happy when I received the message. You can practice everywhere, but I didn’t know much about having a proper diet, or organized way of training including physios.

Since injury, I was completely down. But I made a fresh start under James. He called me in Odisha, he asked me to experience the camp. I noticed that the diet was very organized, there were multiple physios who took care of training routines and fitness. I used to get injured a lot but since I joined the foundation, I haven’t faced an injury. Reliance has supported me a lot, I can’t even describe in words.

Jyothi Yarraji is one of India’s leading prospects in 100m hurdles. Since you both train together, how's your relationship like with her?

She is like my sister. She supports me a lot. When I came here, it was all very new to me and Jyothi helped me a lot through that entire process, and she still does. She keeps advising me on things related to training and practice. It doesn’t even feel like she is my competitor. We have a great relationship.

You recently participated in the Indian Grand Prix. What are your targets for this season?

My focus is on the Asian Games for now. My workout plans are the same as Jyothi, but obviously, she is more efficient right now because she has been here for some time. I’m newer, so I’m getting used to that. Jyothi, as well as James sir support me a lot, since I came here in November. Our preparations are going good. We believe we can qualify and do well in Asian Games.

Have you set any target in terms of timings?

We were in mid-season right now. Our coach was focussing on our improvement and so, we went to the Grand Prix. There was a lot of air force at the time so we couldn’t really exert our best there. My aim is 13s right now; Jyothi is clocking near 12s. The qualification mark is 13.2, but I’m targeting inside 13s. I’m hoping I will qualify.

You also participated in 100m race at the Grand Prix. Was there any specific reasoning behind that?

I will focus on hurdles. It’s good to keep side events, and I participated in 100m because it helps improving your speed. I’ve taken part in 100m races in youth nationals back in 2015-16, though. This was my first experience as a senior player, and the coach has urged me to take part in 100m in every event, because it helps in speed.

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