Born in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh on June 25, 1986, there was something in this young girl that kept her running. Indian athlete Sudha Singh began her journey as a track runner at a very young age. It wasn’t before her recruitment in the Railways that she had pursued steeplechase. She intended to be a runner but was instead driven towards the obstacle race.
Here is a brief introduction to India’s current steeplechase record holder in 3000m who recently bagged a silver medal at Jakarta Asian Games 2018. In an exclusive interview with Mumbai Live, Sudha Singh speaks about her journey, her obstacles, and her inspiration.
Sudha Singh after bagging silver medal at the Jakarta Asian Games, 2018
However, before we learn about the Indian athlete, here is a brief explanation of what steeplechase is.
Representative image
Steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing. The foremost version of the event is the 3000 metres steeplechase. The 3000 metres steeplechase commonly consists of 28 barriers and seven water jumps.
"I worked in the Railways and was posted at Central Railways' CSTM station. Before I used to run in 3000m and 5000m races. However, my officer at Railways told me that instead of becoming a runner, I should make an attempt at Steeplechase"
Earlier, Singh had stated that when she pursued steeplechase and began her journey, initially, the participation was so low that many times, her event would get cancelled. But the brave athlete did not give up and expressed how difficult her journey was. She added that initially, she would usually finish sixth or seventh but as she practised, her timing started getting better.
And with a burning will and faith to become better every day, Singh broke the previous national record of 10 minutes 45 seconds and set a new record of 10 minutes 18 seconds in the 3000m steeplechase race. Later, she went on to better her record again in 2012, with 9 minutes 45 seconds.
"Madhu Shivdutt, my railway officer introduced me to Steeplechase. Interestingly, she had told me that the category and sport I was pursuing already had seniors excelling in it, whereas no one was looking towards steeplechase. So, she persisted that I should choose it and went for it on her advice."
"Ah, challenges! I actually welcome challenges because they keep us moving as humans. In the 2014 Asian Games I was deprived of the bronze medal by a microsecond and I finished fourth. That really affected me a lot. However, the biggest challenge was when I caught swine flu during the 2016 Rio Olympics due to which, I had to rest a lot and later, getting back to the track was a big challenge."
A down to earth athlete, Sudha Singh concludes saying that she does not have any great idols or isn’t inspired by any role model. She says,
Whoever gets ahead of me in the race has and will be my inspiration as long as I overtake them.”
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