‘I was expecting my name in team for Commonwealth Games’

Her husband Saurabh who is a 2010 SAF Games silver medallist and is employed with the UP Police has also got a big reason to cheer about. “I was in the Commonwealth Games camp for the past two years but could not make it to the Indian team in my event triple jump as I secured the third spot in the inter-state championship at Patiala which was a qualifying tournament for the Commonwealth Games. I am really happy at the fact that my wife has got a chance to represent the country in the prestigious event.”

Suman who is employed with Central Excise and Customs Department as an inspector is quite practical about her prospects in the Commonwealth Games. “I will give it my level best. The competition is going to be tough but I will go all out to win a medal. I have given a performance of 54.64m at a championship in Delhi in 2005 so I know that I have the talent to perform well,if not win a medal in the present circumstances. Had I been included in the Indian camp then the facilities provided to the campers would have definitely improved my performance even more.”

Suman,who hails from Varanasi, polished her talent in the event of javelin throw at SAI Athletics Centre at Sports College,Lucknow from 2000 to 2005 under the able guidance of senior SAI coach JS Bhatia. Presently she is doing self-training at 35th Battalion PAC Mahanagar Stadium,Lucknow where a former athlete Vikram Singh gives guidance to her.

“After my marriage in 2006,I had to take a break due to the birth of my son Aditya. On my return in 2008,I won a gold at the Federation Cup in 2008 and excelled in SAF championships thereafter. Winning a silver in the Open Nationals in 2008 boosted my confidence. I also won a silver in the Inter State Athletic Meet held at Chennai in 2009 and went on to win a gold in the Federation Cup held at Ranchi in 2010. All these achievements boosted my confidence when I made a return to the event after a two-year gap,” she explains.

Suman has won medals in javelin throw at the national level both in the senior and junior category right from 2000 to 2006. She won a bronze medal in the SAF Games held at Pakistan in 2003 and won a silver in the SAF Championships held at Cochin in 2008. At the junior level,she won a silver in the Junior Asian Championship held at Bangkok in 2002.