- Breaking a 25-year drought, Pooja Singh secures Gold in Women’s High Jump
- Despite hardships, Pooja outperformed Seasoned Competitors at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships
Pooja Singh, an 18-year-old champion from Bosti village in Haryana, won gold in the women's high jump at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, marking India's first gold in 25 years. Despite financial hardships and torn shoes, Pooja outperformed seasoned competitors from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Her victory has been celebrated as a turning point for Indian athletics and a beacon of hope for grassroots sports.
Pooja scripted history with her personal best of 1.89m jump on May 30, 2025, which not only ended a 25-year wait for India but also marked Team India's seventh gold at the championships, widely praised by officials, coaches, and athletes. Trained under extremely challenging conditions, using bamboo poles as crossbars and sacks of rice husk as landing mats, she showcased perseverance, outshining renowned competitors.
Initially inspired by yoga and gymnastics, Pooja faced financial hardships but grew athletically. Spotted by coach Balwan Singh Patra, she was encouraged to pursue high jump, recognizing her exceptional flexibility and agility. Despite a 15-month injury, she returned stronger, setting national U16 and U18 records, winning gold, and breaking U20 national records with her 1.89m leap.
On securing the gold, Pooja said, "The competition was very good, my body was functioning very well. I almost cleared the record of 1.92m but missed by a little margin, but 1.89m is my personal best, and I was able to record that." Her coach, Balwan Singh, says, "Bringing her up from grassroots till here has been a difficult journey."
