Shaili Singh, a 17-year-old long jumper won the silver medal at the Under-20 World Championships in Nairobi on Sunday. Under the guidance of long jump great Anjo Bobby George and coached by her husband Robert, Shailie missed gold by 1 cm but has established herself as a star to watch. Incidentally, Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra became the U-20 world champion five years ago. In her third jump, Shelley breaks her personal best of 6.59m to move to provisional first after dropping to fourth at the end of the second round. However, Sweden's Maya Askag, the junior European champion, beat Shaili in fourth round by the narrowest margin to finally win the gold medal. Shaili previous best jump was 6.48m. Shaylee's next two jumps were fouls. She regrouped, hoping to better Askag in the final round. She clasped her hands in prayer as she completed the jump, but bend down and hit the track repeatedly with her palm in disappointment when the 6.37m was displayed on the electronic board. Shaili's eyes filled with tears before she regained her composure, and held the tricolor over her shoulders to cap a successful evening in her first international competition in the Kenyan capital at 1,795 meters above sea level.The journey she made from Jhansi to Nairobi in her fledgling and promising career was full of metaphorical uphill climbs. As a child, she ran without shoes, but had a brave blister to compete in school competitions. Her family found it difficult to put three full meals on the table. Mother Vinita is an ardent fan, and the first person she calls to update on results. My mother told me before the final not to worry. She expected me to win the gold medal. Next time I will win the gold medal. I wanted to hear the national anthem playing in the stadium. As she is a single mother, it was difficult for her but my mother looked after me, my sister, and my brother,” Shaili said.Also Read- Neeraj Chopra rises to second spot in world rankings after Olympic gold Anju, the national record holder and the world's greatest bronze medalist, hopes that Shaili will reach even greater heights and win an Olympic medal for the country. "She can improve the national record (6.83 meters). Our main goal for Shalie is to help her finish the podium at the Olympic Games, which is the most valuable thing. If our traienee can win a medal, I will consider it as my own". Anju said Before the U-20 World Championship, Coach Robert set a goal for Shaili of 6.60 meters knowing that his explosive speed on the track would be difficult to counter. "She usually meets my goals. But I know she capable of bigger things. She is a teenage athlete but has the spirit of an adult. I can promise you that she will rule the track and field circuit for the next 10 years. It was her first international competition and she won. silver at the world championships and I'm happy.” said Robert Shaili is the first in her family to play sports. She has her mother to thank for encouraging her to pursue track and field, even though the family was not well off. It was Vinita who alerted Shaili about the selection trials after seeing an advertisement in a newspaper. Shaili entered the Lucknow Sports Hostel, but her big break came after she caught the eye of Robert, even though she ended up with no medals and was not in the right style at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Vijayawada in 2017. A week later, Anju saw her at a Inter district junior champion, and the couple agreed they had found an athlete with the potential to become the next big star. "She was a rough diamond. Being able to find an athlete like this is a precious thing. We knew that if we guided her, we would make it great," says Anju.Also Read- Google once considered teaming up with Tencent to take over Epic Games
Avani Likhara created history on Monday at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She became the first Indian shooter to win a Paralympic medal, she also became the first woman to win an individual gold medal in the country's history at the Paralympic. 19-year-old Avani Likhara made an impressive debut at Paralympic Games She created world record and setting a new Paralympic record with 249.6 in R2 women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 final. The teenager, who suffered spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012, began shooting in 2015. Initially, her father introduced her to archery and shooting, but Avani Likhara wanted to make her mark on archery after reading Abinav Bindra's autobiography. And it was a special moment for Avani Likhara on Monday, as her idol, shooter great Abinav Bindra was among the first to congratulate her on winning the historic gold medal. "Gold it is! Brilliant display by @AvaniLekhara to win India its first Paralympic gold medal in shooting. Immensely proud ! Many Congratulations on your shot at history," Bindra wrote in a social media post. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Lekhara gold as a "really special moment for Indian sport." "Phenomenal performance @AvaniLekhara! Congratulations on winning a hard-earned and well-deserved Gold, made possible due to your industrious nature and passion towards shooting. This is truly a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes for your future endeavors," PM Modi said. Several sports stars joined the bandwagon to celebrate the Golden Girl of India from the Tokyo Paralympic Games.Gold it is! Brilliant display by @AvaniLekhara to win India its first Paralympic gold medal in shooting. Immensely proud ! Many Congratulations on your shot at history ! #Praise4Para #Tokyo2020— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 30, 2021Phenomenal performance @AvaniLekhara! Congratulations on winning a hard-earned and well-deserved Gold, made possible due to your industrious nature and passion towards shooting. This is truly a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes for your future endeavours.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2021It's a Golden Day!! #GoldenGirl @AvaniLekhara wins India's First medal in @ShootingPara & it's a #GOLD!!! Avani has equalled the World Record to achieve this feat! This is unparalleled, first Indian Woman in @Olympics or @Paralympics ever to win GOLD.#Praise4Para #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/hxJoP1edCi— Paralympic India #Cheer4India #Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) August 30, 2021She has created history. The first ever woman from India to win a #Paralympics #Gold Wow #AvaniLekhara on the outstanding feat. Also equals the current WR to win the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 final! #Tokyo2020 #ShootingParaSport pic.twitter.com/saehkl2tJt— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) August 30, 2021Also Read- India vs England: Wounds of 2014 hurt Virat Kohli again
