Pooja Singh's extraordinary journey: Mason's daughter soars to record-breaking heights 

A bamboo pole, rice and hay-filled sacks were the primary apparatus of a mason's daughter who was unaware of the success that was going to follow her in the near future.

Pooja Singh, a 16-year-old prodigy from Haryana, became a source of immense pride for the entire nation as she returned with a silver medal from the Asian U-20 Championships in Yecheon, Korea.

Undeterred by the lack of facilities, Pooja soared to new heights, rewriting both the U-19 and U-20 national records with a remarkable clearance of 1.82 metres.

Hansraj, a hardworking mason earning a daily wage of 500 rupees, may not have understood the sport, but he wholeheartedly supported his daughter in every way possible.

Pooja, the village girl from Fatehabad, first caught the eye of local Physical Education teacher Balwan Patra, who saw in her the potential to become another shining star, possibly surpassing Sahana Kumari's national record of 1.92 meters set in 2012.

Patra recalled how Pooja came to his academy to learn Yoga in 2017, but upon discovering the strength in her lower limbs the coach instantly put her to practice high jump. This-- without any proper facility.

The resolute school training teacher decided to walk that extra mile for Pooja- Jugaad was what helped them. For almost a year Pooja's practice set up was hay sacks stitched together and a bamboo stick, which Patra says would fall off after Pooja's every landing.

Within three months, the little girl who joined the coach at the age of 10 had already mastered the basic jump and was winning medals at the school, district and state levels. Another well-known Javelin coach gifted them a jumping pit which then helped her learn the more complicated Fosbury flop-- where the jumper lands on the neck and shoulders.

Pooja, the quick learner that she is, mastered it quickly but could not use it in age-group competitions. She devised her own innovative approach, combining the scissor method for takeoff and the Fosbury technique for landing, allowing her to participate seamlessly without hindrance.

Impressed by her potential, Sahana Kumari, one of the most decorated female high jumpers that India has seen, decided to invest in her talent and provided her with monetary help. She saw her talent in Bengaluru in one of the national camps and said, 'The height with which she is getting at with just 5 strides is unmatchable'

Kumari suggested her she should gradually start practising her jumps with the standard 8-10 strides and that, she said, 'will really boost her performance'