Olympics: Unable to afford a javelin, Annu Rani honed her skills by throwing sugarcane sticks
Annu Rani, a 31-year-old javelin thrower from Meerut, is gearing up for the Paris Olympics. Despite financial constraints, she practiced with cricket balls and sugarcane sticks before crafting her own javelin. Her unconventional training and resilience led to breaking a 14-year-old national record in 2014 and achieving a personal best of 63.82m in 2022. Annu made history in 2023 as the first Indian woman to win gold in javelin at the Asian Games. Her journey exemplifies unwavering determination and passion.
Annu Rani is all set to make waves at the Paris Olympics with her exemplary javelin-throwing skills. The 31-year-old, who hails from a humble farming family from Meerut, once practiced her javelin throwing skills with cricket balls and sugarcane sticks, as she was not able to afford javelins.
AgenciesIn an interview with The Better India, Rani’s brother Upendra revealed how the eight-time national champion honed her skills through unconventional means as she lacked the means to undergo formal training.
Annu Rani is all set to make waves at the Paris Olympics with her exemplary javelin-throwing skills. The 31-year-old, who hails from a humble farming family from Meerut, once practiced her javelin throwing skills with cricket balls and sugarcane sticks, as she was not able to afford javelins. In an interview with The Better India, Rani’s brother Upendra revealed how the eight-time national champion honed her skills through unconventional means as she lacked the means to undergo formal training. “I was a runner myself but I was always fascinated with javelin. Whenever I went to local meets I used to watch the event. Annu used to play cricket with us and had a strong arm. I asked her to try javelin,” he told the publication.
Impressed with her talent, he became her trainer. He started training Annu by having her throw sticks in an empty sugarcane field.Unable to afford a javelin, Annu made her own in 2010 when she turned 18. Throwing cricket balls and sugarcane sticks helped her develop strong arms.Annu’s resolve to avoid early marriage, unlike many girls in her village, remained firm despite her father Amarpal’s disapproval. In an interview, she shared that she was prohibited from wearing T-shirts and playing sports. Due to financial difficulties, she had to borrow jerseys and javelins from other athletes and wear oversized shoes.”In my village, girls are expected to rely on their parents and must ask their father or brother for anything they need. After turning 20, they are often seen as burdens and quickly married off,” she explained.
This societal expectation that women should be dependent on men, both before and after marriage, troubled Annu, making her feel that women’s lives were severely restricted. She refused to accept this norm and saw sports as her escape. With no clear path or training facilities, she chose javelin because it only required a sugarcane stick.
Her father initially wanted to follow traditional customs and marry her off. However, being the youngest sibling, she convinced him to let her continue her education until Class 12, with the support of her brothers. Her training began in secret in the farm fields, practicing with sugarcane sticks after school. When a schoolboy informed her father about her activities, he went to the school to reprimand her.
However, a teacher advised her father to let Annu continue, suggesting, “She’ll stop when she’s had enough.” Eventually, her father started supporting her. He would cycle while she ran alongside him, scheduling her training sessions before villagers returned from work to keep them hidden.
Annu’s life took a significant turn after winning gold at the 2014 National Inter-State Athletics Championship in Lucknow, where she broke a 14-year-old national record with a 58.83m javelin throw. She qualified for the Commonwealth Games and finished eighth.
Her father, now confident in her abilities, encouraged her to pursue javelin further. In 2022, she achieved a personal best of 63.82m at the Indian Open Javelin Throws Competition in Jamshedpur, setting a new national record for women’s javelin throw in India. She also made history at the 2023 Asian Games by becoming the first Indian woman to win gold in javelin with a throw of 62.92m.
As she prepares for the Paris Olympics 2024, Annu’s remarkable journey from throwing sugarcane sticks to setting national records and winning gold medals in javelin is a testament to her unwavering determination.
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