Olympian Annu Rani Changed How Villagers See Women In Sports
Since the time a woman is born, there is a list of preset rules taught to her. The rules tell her what is ‘fit’ for a woman and what is not. The most basic example of a preset rule is that women are not fit for sports. Whether it is choosing sports as an optional paper in school or choosing it as a career option – women are often told that sports are for men, not for women. In fact, phrases like ‘throws like a girl’ are considered to be derogatory. But then you have Olympians like Annu Rani, come and change the notion. Annu Rani has been one of the major reasons why now her village looks at women differently at women in sports.
Recently, the Olympian Annu Rani became the first Indian to breach the 60-m mark in the javelin throw and only the second Indian to represent India at the Olympics javelin throw event. After breaking the women’s javelin throw national record eight times, she has changed the meaning of the phrase ‘throws like a girl’ forever.
Annu Rani, the Indian Olympian, grew up in the village of Bahadurpur in Uttar Pradesh (UP). While growing up, she was time and again told that throwing javelin was not an appropriate activity for a girl. And look at her now. She has gone ahead and broken the women’s javelin throw national record eight times.
Speaking to the Olympian’s father, Amarpal Singh, just like any other parent he gushed about how proud he was to have her as his daughter. The 61-year-old father said, “They saw her winning spree. Now, those who used to criticize her want their daughters to take up sports. Every home encourages its girls to go out and play… She has changed their thinking about women in sports.”
Throwing light on the Olympian Annu Rani’s childhood, her father, Amarpal Singh, revealed how she would be bullied for being an outgoing kid and doing what was considered to be male-dominated sports. He reminisced about how he and his family stood by her side through all this and would take her to train after school.
Annu Rani, being the youngest of five siblings, had chosen her own path and owned every obstacle that came her way. But the path she chose was introduced to her by her elder brother Upender Singh, who himself is an athlete. Upender Singh was a 1,500-m runner and in 2009 took Annu Rani along with him to a stadium in Meerut for his practice.
Upender Singh shed light on how dedicated the Olympian was from the very beginning. After he introduced her to shot put, Annu Rani’s sports instructor pushed her to take up the javelin and within the first year of her training, she won her first medal in an inter-school event. The Olympian would practice javelin throw using sugarcanes on her family’s farm.
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Even the Indian Olympian’s very first trainer said that he saw a great deal of potential in throw when she participated at the district level. But when she broke a record in the junior category at the state level, he advised Annu Rani to focus completely on the javelin. And we’re glad that he did.
Coming from a family that owned a 12-bigha farm were not financially stable enough to support Annu Rani and her brother Upender Singh’s athlete career. And so Upender Singh gave up his running career to support the Olympian’s dream as he recognized that she had much more potential than him. He remembered the old times when he would take Annu Rani to her events and then, later on, help his father on their farm. Looking back, Upender Singh, always believed that Indian Olympian, Annu Rani would make it big.
And if her records say anything, then they definitely affirm him. The Indian Olympian ranked 13 in the world and India’s first woman to ever make it to the World Championships final. To date, Annu Rani has won the National Championships six times, a silver and bronze medal at two Asian Championships. And now Annu Rani, the Indian Olympian, is all set for the upcoming qualification event on Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Olympian Annu Rani’s entire village is rooting for her. And so is the rest of the country. Watching an Indian woman create history is a different feeling. But watching that same woman changing the mindsets of people who think women are not fit for sports is another different feeling altogether. In the Tokyo Olympics 2021, India’s women athletes have proved that women can not just play sports, but can own it like no else’s business. And I’m loving the entire vibe of it.
