Annu Rani is an Indian javelin thrower who is famous for being the first Indian female to reach the World Athletics Championships finals, held in Doha in 2019.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Annu Rani Dharayan was born on Friday, 28 August 1992 (age 31 years; as of 2023) in Bahadurpur village, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Her zodiac sign is Virgo. When she was young, she used to play cricket with her brother who noticed that Annu’s upper body was strong and she had the strength to throw javelin. He started training her by asking her to throw sugarcane sticks in an empty field. When she was 18, she threw her first javelin in 2010. She discussed the traditional values of her childhood in an interview and said that, contrary to the stereotype of an Indian girl cooking Rotis in the kitchen, she was a sports-loving girl who aspired to become a professional athlete. In an interview, she recalled that once her school prohibited her from practising after she accidentally broke a flower pot during a practice session.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Weight (approx.): 70 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Annu’s father’s name is Amarpal Singh, who is a farmer.
Annu Rani with her father
Her mother’s name is Munni Devi. She has two brothers and two younger sisters. One of her brother’s names is Upendra Singh, who is a long-distance runner.
Wife & Children
Annu is unmarried.
Religion
She follows Hinduism.
Annu Rani’s post about her religious values
Career
Struggles faced after choosing to play
Annu could not afford a javelin stick so she made her first stick with a long piece of bamboo. Because of inadequate facilities in the village and limited practice opportunities at school, Annu created a makeshift ground in her father’s field to practice. She would travel 13 miles daily to practise. Her sister would stay with her until late into the night to ensure her safety. Her father did not support her playing sports but her brother paid for her training. In 2012, when she received the call for the Indian camp, her father refused to send her alone to Patiala, where the camp was taking place. In an interview, her brother disclosed that his family’s financial situation was so bad that Annu had to borrow money to purchase shoes for her training. In an interview, she recalled that during her early days, the family faced financial struggles to afford tickets for her competitions. There were instances when she had to sleep on the train floor during travels or borrow money from neighbours to purchase tickets.
Training for the game
She used to play in many national tournaments and after witnessing her performance in one of the matches, Commonwealth Bronze Medallist Kashinath Naik was keen to coach her for competitions abroad; however, this needed him to persuade her father to permit her to train away from home. After his father gave his approval, Annu enrolled in Kashinath’s classes in 2013. Kashinath inspired her to dream about the Olympics. She asked her to watch motivational movies like Sultan, Dangal and Sachin: A Billion Dreams. After that, Annu received training at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala, where she would lift 180 kg of weight intensely several times a day to develop a powerful body. Her javelin used to weigh about 600 grammes. Annu claimed that she increased her strength by using a heavier weapon. Later, she received training from Baljeet Singh.
Achievements
In 2014, she broke the 14-year-old national record with her throw of 58.83 metres in the National Inter-State Athletics Championship in Lucknow. After this, she qualified for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, finishing eighth. In the same year, she threw 59.53 metres in the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, which gained her a bronze medal.
Annu Rani during Asian Games 2014
In 2016, she made a throw of 60.01 metres at the Open National Athletics Championship breaking her record. Unfortunately, Annu had numerous injuries in the year that followed. For the first time, an Indian woman surpassed the 60-meter mark. In March 2019, she broke her record again with a throw of 62.34 meters at the National Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala, Punjab. In the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships on 21 April 2019 in Qatar, she became the first Indian woman javelin thrower to participate in the World Athletics Championship and won the silver medal.
Annu Rani during the World Athletics Championship 2019
She did not meet the qualifying standards for the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.
Annu Rani during the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha
However, her world ranking of 18 earned her a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Annu Rani at 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Maintaining her strong performance, Annu won the gold medal in the 59th National Open Athletics Championships in October 2019 while competing in the women’s javelin throw event. At the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium, she won with scores of 56.97, 55.97, 58.31, 57.29, and 56.86 before earning the final mark of 58.60 metres. In 2021, she gave her career best of 63.24m which helped her win the gold in the National Interstate Athletic Championship, Patiala, 2021. In the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, she became the first Indian female javelin thrower to win a bronze medal.
Annu Rani at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games
In 2023, she became the first Indian Javelin thrower to win a Gold medal in the Asian Games at Hangzhou. She recorded a season-best throw of 62.92 meters to secure her first-ever gold medal at a major international event. In an interview, she said that she felt depressed before the Asian Games and said,
I was trying the whole year and I was not able to give my best. I was feeling depressed and under pressure because the government spent a lot of money sending me abroad for training. This was my last competition of the season, and I did not give up. So I was determined to give my best.”
Annu Rani after winning at Asian Games 2023
Medals
Gold
- National Inter-State Athletics Championship in Lucknow in 2014
- 59th National Open Athletics Championship in 2019
- National Interstate Athletic Championship, Patiala in 2021
- Qosanov Memorial Championship, Almaty, Kazakhstan 2022
- Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023
Silver
- 23rd Asian Athletics Championships in Qatar on 21 April 2019
Bronze
- Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea in 2014
- IAAF World Challenge event called the Ostrava Golden Spike Athletics Meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic in 2019
- Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022
Records
- In 2019, she became the first Indian female to reach the World Athletics Championships finals, held in Doha.
- In 2023, she became the first Indian woman to win gold in javelin throw at the Asian Games
Awards
- Sportstar Aces Sportswoman of the Year Award in Athletics in 2020
Annu Rani receiving Sportstar Aces Sportswoman of the Year Award in Athletics in 2020
- Times of India Sports Award for the Best Female Athlete 2022
Annu Rani posing with Times of India Sports Award for the Best Female Athlete 2022
- Trailblazer of the Year Award at the CNBC TV18 IBLA 2023
Annu Rani posing with Trailblazer of the Year Award at the CNBC TV18 IBLA 2023
Facts/Trivia
- She likes shopping and reading books.
- She follows a vegetarian diet.
- According to her, during her early career, she encountered challenges practising with boys due to cultural norms in her village. She was taught to walk with her head bowed down and avoid making eye contact with men and boys.
- In an interview, while talking about the techniques used in javelin throw, Annu Rani said,
Javelin is all about technique. Of course, power does matter, but I think I have enough strength to throw long. It is about fine-tuning the technique, and once that is done, I am confident of breaching the qualification mark. In this sport, you can make up 3-4 metres just by getting your technique right.”
- Her performances have even earned her an officer-rank job with the Indian Railways.
Categories: Sports
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
