[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Eyeing the Olympics, this long jumper is leaping over societal pressures
Despite economic adversities and lack of family support, 20-year-old Shivani Soam has made a mark as a national-level long jumper.
Shivani Soam, 20, has made a big leap: from not having access to sports to breaking records in long jump competitions. But it hasn’t been a smooth ride for Shivani, who represented her district and state in long jump competitions.
Hailing from a small village in Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh, Shivani was in Class 12 when she was introduced to sports. Schools in her district rarely organised sports events, and when she finally came across one, she wanted to give it her best shot.
“I asked one of my uncles who trained people for the army. He trained me and I bagged the gold medal in the track events” she recalls.
But progressing to the district and state levels was a big hurdle. Her socio-economic background made it difficult for her parents to back her and Shivani gave up her sporting dreams.
However, as fate would have it, Shivani got another chance to pick up from where she left off. After her Class 12 exams, she travelled to Delhi to stay with her relatives for her holidays. She convinced her relatives to allow her to practice at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
Today, among her achievements, Shivani holds the current Delhi state record for long jump at 5.31 metre.
Despite bringing accolades to the family, Shivani faces biases constantly. From being pressured into getting married and leaving sports to getting flak for wearing shorts, she has seen it all. The pressure increased substantially amid the pandemic when she returned to her village.
“At one point, I had almost given up on sports because of my family’s constant nagging. But my coach and team kept my morale high,” she says.
India may be gung ho about sports, but a career in the field – especially for a woman - makes people think twice. For the longest time, Shivani could not get her hands on the right gear or food that life as an athlete necessitated because of her poor background.
However, a collaboration with ENGN, an athlete representation company and performance-wear brand, helped her get on track.
Now, with dreams of bagging a gold medal at the Olympics, Shivani advises young athletes to never stop dreaming.
“Just go for it if you think you have it in yourself. There will be hurdles, but you can overcome them if you put your mind to it.”
Edited by Teja Lele