With a string of consistent performances, G M Aishwarya, the junior national champion in long jump, has marked herself out as a bright prospect for Karnataka. However, these days, the 17-year-old is experiencing a bumpy ride, with her family finding it difficult to meet the growing demands of the circuit.

“All that we get is a yearly scholarship, which is not sufficient to meet her demands. I want my daughter to compete at the highest level. But we are really finding it difficult to send her for meets. I would like to see my daughter compete with the best and travel just like other athletes,” says her mother Kokila with a tinge of disappointment. “These days everything has become costly. Whether it is spikes or clothes. We are really struggling to meet the expenses with our minimal resources,” she added.

One of V R Beedu’s proteges at the Indo-German Sports Club, Aishwarya has made remarkable strides after first making her mark at the Deccan Athletic Club’s weekend meets in Bangalore. At the Bangalore Junior Nationals last year, she topped with a leap of 5.59 metres in long jump and in the World Athletic Day meet in May. The fact that she is good in academics — as she proved with 77 per cent marks in her Class X exams despite missing a lot of lessons — adds glitter to her accomplishments.

“Aishwarya is definitely a good prospect. My immediate aim is to make her qualify and see her coming out in flying colours in the Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Pune next year. But I can only train her. She needs to compete more in the combined events which will make her stronger. But the logistics involved in travel, buying new equipment etc is proving to be a heavy burden for her family. Someone has to come up with financial assistance to support her,” says Beedu.

“When she started training under me, in high jump her personal best was 1.46M and in long jump it was 4.68. The corresponding figures now are 1.61 and 5.73. It just goes to show that she is a quick learner and that she has it in her to make it big,” he added.

Despite the problems, Aishwarya, who is a first PU student of Vijaya College now, continues her quest for glory with dedication. “I can’t afford to miss a single day’s practice. My day starts at 5.00 in the morning. After finishing practice, I go to college and from there back to the stadium in the evening.”

However she admits that she is finding life a little difficult after moving to college and remains modest about her achievements. ‘’In school I could manage things somehow and my teachers were very co-operative in this regard.
“Now I have to make that transition from school to college. When I compare what I have achieved with international standards, I realise where I stand. I know I still have a long way to go, but my immediate aim is to touch the 6-metre mark in long jump,“ she says.