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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Mumbai, IND |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | In 2019 she sustained a knee injury. (thebridge.in, 27 Jun 2019) In 2018 she injured a muscle in her back. (kreedon.com, 29 Oct 2019) She injured herself in the early part of 2015 and aggravated the problem in the 2015 Mumbai Marathon in India. She had to stop training until February 2016. (indian24news.com, 30 Apr 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | She is from a farming family and fell in love with running at a young age when she used to run the four kilometres to school. She focused on athletics because she believes the work a person puts in will translate to success. |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Ethiopian distance runner Tirunesh Dibaba. (Athlete, 13 Sep 2014) |
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. (thebridge.in, 08 Mar 2020) |
| Awards and honours | In 2016 she received the Arjuna Award in India. (Instagram profile, 09 Jul 2020; hindustantimes.com, 28 Aug 2016) She was named Indian Sports Person of the Year for 2015. (vagabomb.com, 27 Feb 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She took up the sport in 2002 in Satara, India. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Public Servant |
| Languages | English, Hindi |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Coach from which country? | Belarus |
General Interest | |
| Other information | BREAK She took a break from the sport in 2017 and 2018 after getting married and falling pregnant. She gave birth to her first son in 2019. "It's been a while since I got on the track [speaking in 2020]. Marriage happened in between, which has turned out to be such a blessing. I have a small child now and it is amazing what childbirth can do to you. I still want to keep running, though. I want to train and compete at the [2022] Asian Games. My husband and his parents have been very supportive." (thebridge.in, 08 Mar 2020; kreedon.com, 29 Oct 2019; thebridge.in, 27 Jun 2019; economictimes.indiatimes.com, 16 Mar 2018; sportstar.thehindu.com, 20 Feb 2018) RIO EXPERIENCE She considered quitting the sport in the weeks ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro due to feeling homesick. She credits her coaches for supporting her to push through, and became the first Indian athlete in 32 years to qualify for the final of an individual Olympic track event by reaching the final of the 3000m steeplechase at the Games "At one point, weeks ahead of the Olympics, I almost thought of giving up running. The way we were preparing for the Olympics, it was tough. We were not allowed to meet our parents. We had a one-hour time slot to use mobile phones and even that was not every day. Credit must go to my coaches for pushing me throughout to be at my best. When I went to the 2016 Olympic Games, I qualified for the final, which I came to know later was a feat. I could not believe that I had made it to the final. In the final, however, I could not do as well as I wanted to. I was carrying an injury, about which I had not told anyone at that time because I did not want to upset the fans back in India who were counting on me. I wanted to give my very best despite my injury. In the end, I fell short of my dream of winning an Olympic medal." (thebridge.in, 08 Mar 2020; indianexpress.com, 14 Aug 2016) CHOICE Originally a marathon runner, she switched to steeplechase in early 2014 and reached the final of the event at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, People's Republic of China. In January 2016 she revealed she and coach Nikolai Snesarev had made the decision to focus on the steeplechase, and had been running marathons only to increase her stamina. "I want to focus on steeplechase where I think I can have a better finish than in the marathon." (indianexpress.com, 22 Feb 2016; indiatoday.intoday.in, 04 Jan 2016; the hindu.com, 25 Aug 2015; thebetterindia.com, 25 Aug 2015) OCCUPATION In March 2020 she began working as a deputy collector with the government of Maharashtra in Raigad, India. She previously worked as a ticket inspector at Indian Railways. (Facebook profile, 19 Dec 2020; Instagram profile, 09 Jul 2020; Facebook page, 11 Mar 2020) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Husband Sandip Bhosale, one son [2019] |