India, June 4 -- Athlete Pooja Singh grabbed the gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 in South Korea on Friday (May 30). Notably, she achieved the feat with torn spikes! Now back home in Fatehabad, the Haryana girl tells us the first thing she did upon returning. "I handed over the medal to my parents. Jab unhone mera medal apne haath mein liya, unki aankhon mein bahut garv aur khushi thi... It was a special feeling that can't be explained in words," the 18-year-old high jumper tells us. For her parents, who've celebrated every occasion, big or small, this feat for India made them "very proud". Especially since her leap of 1.89m broke her own U-20 national record set last year at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru. Mention it, and the teen responds with humility: "I didn't celebrate too much because I had to return to my training." Pooja is a first-year college student pursuing bachelors in Physical Education and Sports. Being a sportsperson, she is cognisant of how fickle fame is. Long before the medals and ensuing spotlight, she had been training in dusty fields. "I used bamboo poles in place of proper crossbars. Sach kahun toh itne bade competition mein maine phate huye spikes par kinesiology tape laga kar khela tha," she reflects. But nothing has ever seemed like an extenuating circumstance for this grounded girl. "What if my shoes were torn in this championship, or I have trained with bamboos in the past? Agar mere paas kuchh nahin hai toh uska matlab yeh nahin ki main life mein kuchh bada achieve nahin kar sakti! I believe in three things - hard work, discipline, and dedication - baaki sab sambhal jayega. There is no challenge in life that can or should stop me from achieving my dreams." Her steely conviction and quiet determination also stem from her compass cum coach, Balwan Parta. "Mere coach mere parent hain, guide bhi, aur dost bhi. Main unse ladti hoon aur seekhti bhi hoon," she shares with a smile. Crediting her coach for igniting within her the passion for this sport, Pooja adds, "My coach taught me that medals toh aate rahenge, but next jump aur high honi chahiye! Jo jeet liya woh ab peeche reh gaya. Now, the next target is to get back to training immediately and fulfil my ultimate dream - to win India another medal in the 2028 LA Olympics."...