New Delhi, March 26 -- For Anjali Munda, a simple decision in a classroom changed the course of her life. In 2022, when a teacher asked students to volunteer for different sports during a routine class, the 11-year-old quietly raised her hand for swimming, a choice that marked the beginning of her journey in competitive sport..
Originally from Gahiragadiya village in Odisha's Jajpur district, about 100 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, Anjali had only a basic familiarity with the sport from her childhood. Yet once she stepped into structured training, she never looked back.
Born to a van driver employed at a local factory Anjali is the youngest among four siblings, which include three sisters and an elder brother. Like her siblings, she was en...