The life of an athlete of a young Indian woman, still a teenager, a month before it happens, is practically like driving a car at night, no headlights, on a darkened highway, and uncertain where the road leads.
After winning the female title U20 400m, at the National Junior Athletic Championships, Neeru Pathak is happy, but her celebration is muted and ends with half an enamel when the eyes flashing on a large screen. When she speaks, she constantly plays with her fingers, radiates nervous energy, as if waiting for something transformation.
Its time of 53.38 seconds in the final is an improvement compared to 55.34 in the mountains. But she knows she can do better. It ran 52.78 and 52.85 earlier in the year and in 2024. In most of your runs you can see the dTalizing flashes of talent over the last two years. Starting and finishes need work. Agrees. “It’s a beginning that is always a problem and I’ll solve it,” he says. “Even in the finals I started slowly and then I only went out in the finals to get a decent timing.”
It was an easy running in Bhubaneswar with the second placed mehaardeep Kaur of Panjab at 54.83. Neeru agrees that more intensive competition could push her with improved timing. Nevertheless, the timing was good enough to break the Qualifying Stamp of the U20 55.20 World Championship.
Fights outside the track usually obscure those. In fact, for Neeru, the track offers comfort, a shoulder that can rely on, starts, bends, last plane, all pieces of puzzles that every star of the track in India is trying to solve. A couple yes. Most fall on the siding. Neeru wants to be among the few who get on stage – Asian Games, Commonwealth games, and then the dream, the Olympic Games. They believe that these traces themselves will lead her and her family to a better life; Especially for her family, which put everything on the line to become a star. It is difficult to overestimate efforts and will have the power that must take a day to make your ambitions, aspirations, all in harmony.
“We are seven sisters. Three are couple and three are studying under me. Or they are trying to study because almost all the money my father earns from the 10 bighas of Land will spend on me,” She is her father, Rajbir Sharma, who believed to become an athlete. In his mind, as he says, the prospect of work that would make her independent and family a little safe. The local coach in his village Gadakher, near Aligarh, packed her in Vishal Saxena in Meerut, where she now trains and lives in one room.
Between dreams, dates and desire to deliver
Neeru did not know that she had violated the U20 World Championship. He does not know where Eugene is – instead of the U20 World Championship in the United States. He knows all the cities in which she competed – Ranchi, Chennai, Bilaspur. New Delhi and Sonepat, of course, because Vishal takes it and many other athletes for speed training, at least twice a week. Meerut does not have a synthetic track. States quickly offer GSP workers that win athletes winning gold medals DSP, but songs are never in a nation that can sit handshakes than the sport itself is never a priority.
“Now that (Neeru) needs a sponsor for clothes, food and spikes, no one comes. Everyone is waiting for a big victory, a medal on a continental level,” Vishal says.
“Between the phone and the tips, I decided to invest my father’s money in the spikes,” says Neero, overturning over his old phone, whose front looked like a car with a high -speed accident.
The U20 junior championships still have 200 meters and relays. She loves 200, but she knows it’s 400 that gives her medals and the stage she cares about. “400 m is Raja (king) track,” he says. “And for me it’s a medal at the Asian Games that counts. It will lead to work.”
At the moment, its running is sometimes liquid, but mostly with harsh, chaotic vibration. He explains: “It must be improved and my coach always says that when you cross 180 meters, you prefer to push to the finish. I have to be consistent after the first 100 and then slowly improve the pace.
The conversation seems to be associated with 2026, the year of Asian games for almost all Indian athletes. Does he invest too many emotions in the stage at Asian games? While Neer’s life has struggles, most of us cannot even begin to understand these aspects, her athletic ability that does not get into full birth with constant mental pressure to have to provide the home front.
Neeru’s life is a strict cycle of the victim: he wakes up at 4:30 a day for training, powered on bananas, apples and Daliya. Her noon meal consists of four eggs and her dinner includes boiled chicken and vegetables. Asian games are her salvation. Above all, she and thousands of other juniors must fight the whims of happiness and vulnerability of the human body.
Vishal believes it is a “step by step” process that will achieve any goals he has in mind. He admits that getting a job is a priority. And then he must stay in a 50-51 second zone as soon as she can make a crack crack. “He’s ambitious,” he explains. “He’s worried about her family. He knows she’s talent.”
Neeru makes you feel that professional athletes are supposed to suffer and sacrifice. He is not a professional athlete yet. No sponsor. He wants new tips and, if possible, “Apple Wala”.
Whatever it comes in 2026, the season will be difficult. Her talent will test not only her finishing power, but also solve and how far she is willing to go, he will also depend on how far he is.
– ends
Published:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
October 12, 2025
