From a village field in Haryana lined with sacks of husk to the top step of the podium at the Asian Athletics Championships, 18-year-old Pooja has leapt past barriers in style. On May 30, in Gumi, South Korea, the teenager scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman since 2000 to win gold in high jump at the continental meet. And she did it with a torn shoe patched up with plaster.

Born in 2007 in Bosti village, Haryana, Pooja is the daughter of Hansraj, a mason who earns a modest daily wage. Her early training facilities were humble to say the least — no crash mats, no stadium — just bamboo sticks and a landing area cobbled together with sacks filled with parali (stubble). But what she lacked in infrastructure, she made up for in sheer determination.

“I started in 2017 and till 2019 I was doing yoga and gymnastics,” Pooja recalled after her maiden gold medal at a senior competition. “I took part in multiple events, but in 2019, I selected high jump. I have reached here after a lot of hard work and struggles.”

It was during a yoga session that her coach Balwan Singh Patra spotted her. Impressed by her explosive strength and agility, he introduced her to high jump at the Para Sports Academy. Despite the absence of even basic equipment, Pooja mastered the Fosbury Flop technique within months — a feat that usually takes years.

With unwavering dedication, she struck gold in the under-14 category, jumping 1.41m. Even a 15-month injury break couldn’t keep her down; she bounced back to set a national U-16 record with a leap of 1.76m at the 2022 Junior Nationals.

On Friday in Gumi, she went higher than ever before — both literally and figuratively.

Failing her initial attempts at 1.83m and 1.86m, Pooja knew she needed to rise above 1.86m to secure gold. On her very first try at 1.89m, she soared — clearing the bar and setting a new personal best. The effort was enough to beat Uzbekistan’s Safina Sadullaeva (silver, 1.86m) and Kazakhstan’s Yelizaveta (bronze).

“The competition was very good, my body was functioning very well. I almost cleared the record of 1.92m but missed by a little margin, but 1.89m is my personal best and I was able to record that,” said an elated Pooja, arms flung wide in disbelief after her golden leap.

POOJA SETS SIGHTS ON OLYMPIC MEDAL

And she did it all with a patched-up spike.

It was her first major medal at the senior level, having previously won gold at the Asian U-18 Championships in Tashkent. Her performance earned high praise, with India’s decathlon silver medallist Tejaswin Shankar calling it the “greatest performance from an Indian perspective” at AAC 2025.

As the youngest member of the Indian contingent, Pooja is soaking in the experience while keeping her eyes on a bigger goal.

“I am the youngest in the team and I am enjoying it. I am having fun out here as well as focusing on my game. My target is to qualify for the next Olympics and win the gold medal,” she said.

For someone who once jumped onto sacks of husk, Pooja Singh is now aiming for Olympic heights and she’s taking all of India along for the ride.