Paris Olympics: Annu Rani, an eight-time national javelin champion from a farming family in Bahadarpur, Meerut, overcame financial constraints and societal expectations to excel at sports.
As 31-year-old Annu Rani gears up for the women’s javelin qualification on 7 August, 2024, at the Paris Olympics, let’s take a closer look at the life of this eight-time national champion.
In the village of Bahadarpur, Meerut, Annu grew up in a farming family with a love for cricket, where she amused herself by throwing cricket balls. Her brother Upendra was impressed by her strength during a cricket match.
“I was a runner myself but I was always fascinated with javelin. Whenever I went to local meets I used to watch the event. Annu used to play cricket with us and had a strong arm. I asked her to try javelin,” Upendra shared in an interview. So he began coaching Annu by having her throw sticks in an empty sugarcane field.
With no means to buy a javelin, Annu fashioned her own in 2010 when she turned 18. Whether she was tossing cricket balls or sugarcane sticks, these activities helped her build strong arms.
Her father Amarpal’s disapproval did not deter Annu, who was determined not to marry early like other girls in her village. In an interview, she revealed that she was forbidden from wearing T-shirts and playing sports. Financial constraints forced her to borrow jerseys and javelins from other players and make do with their oversized shoes.
“Where I come from, girls are expected to depend on their parents and must always beg their father or brother for anything they need. After turning 20, girls are often considered a burden and married off,” she explained.
This expectation that women should constantly depend on men, both before and after marriage, disturbed Annu and made the world seem limited for women. She didn’t want to accept the life expected of her and viewed sports as her way out. Without a clear path or training options, she chose javelin because it required just a sugarcane stick.
Her father wanted to initially stick to local customs and marry her off. However, as the youngest sibling, she managed to persuade him to allow her to study until Class 12, with support from her brothers.
At first, her training was confined to the farm fields, and she kept it discreet. She practised with sugarcane sticks after school. After a schoolboy reported her activities to her father, asking, “Do you know your daughter is playing in the fields?”, her father, surprised, went to the school to scold her.
But a teacher advised him to let Annu continue for a while. “She’ll stop when she’s had enough,” the teacher said.
Eventually, her father began to show his support. He would cycle, with her running alongside him. To keep her training discreet, he scheduled her practice sessions before the villagers returned from work to avoid drawing their attention.
A new chapter began in Annu’s life after she clinched gold at the 2014 National Inter-State Athletics Championship in Lucknow, breaking a 14-year-old national record with a 58.83m javelin throw. She qualified for the Commonwealth Games, where she finished eighth. Her father, now confident in her potential, encouraged her to continue with javelin.
In 2022, Annu achieved a personal best of 63.82m at the Indian Open Javelin Throws Competition in Jamshedpur, setting a new national record for women’s javelin throw in India. She also made history at the 2023 Asian Games, becoming the first Indian woman to win gold in javelin with a throw of 62.92m.
As she prepares for the Paris Olympics 2024, Annu’s extraordinary rise from throwing sugarcane sticks to setting national records and winning gold medals in the world of javelin is a story of unyielding spirit.
Edited by Pranita Bhat; Image courtesy: Annu Rani (@annurani_)
Sources:
‘Who is Annu Rani? All you need to know about the Indian woman javelin thrower competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics’: by Karan Sethi for sportskeeda.com, Published on 5 August, 2024.
‘After throwing sugarcanes, bamboo sticks, Annu Rani now hurls javelin for CWG bronze’: by Andrew Amsan for The Indian Express, Published on 11 August, 2022.
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