Swapna Barman created history with India's first gold medal in Heptathlon event at Asian Games.
Swapna Barman created history on Tuesday as she earned India's first gold medal in Heptathlon event at Asian Games.
Swapna broke the 6000 point barrier at the 2018 Asian Games to win the gold. She had led the event for whole course. She finished fourth in the final event - the 800m race - ahead of her nearest opponent China's Qingling Wang.
Barman notched up 6026 points for a remarkable win, battling rivals as well as pain. She competed over two days with a bandaged chin due to a toothache which caused her a lot of pain, especially in the high jump.
She bettered her own personal best of 5,942 points in course of winning the gold. Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Voronina has won the women's heptathlon gold with 5,912 at the Incheon Games four years ago, where Barman made her debut and scored 5,178 points.
Unique problem
Barman, who has 12 toes - 6 each on either foot, had struggled to get the best fitiing shoes ahead of the Jakarta Games.
"Ahead of the Games, my main worry is I'm not getting the right shoes for high jump," she had told Reuters before the Asian Games.
"It's a problem and I think I may have to live with it for the rest of my life," she had said. "Some people did suggest surgery to get rid of the extra toes but I'm not sure about it. Anyway, I'm now focusing on the Asian Games and will think about all it later."
Barman had tried several brands before she decided to make do with standard-sized footwear.
Knee and ankle injuries kept Barman on the sidelines for nearly a year before she made a comeback in June to secure her second Asian Games participation.
What is Heptathlon?
For the uninitiated, a heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The men's and women's heptathlon have different events.
The women's heptathlon consists of seven events - 100 metres hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 metres race, long jump, javelin throw and 800 metres race. The first four are usually contested on the first day, and the remaining three on day two.
Athletes are awarded points on the basis of their performance in these events.
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