Annu Rani on Olympics, future of Indian athletics and empowering young dreams: EXCLUSIVE

Starting her journey years ago from Bahadurpur, Uttar Pradesh, Annu Rani could only dream about the Olympics. Now, relentlessly working towards the Tokyo Olympics qualification, her goal of winning an Olympic medal for the nation might not be so out of reach. In an exclusive interview with Republic World on International Women's Day, Annu Rani breaks down various aspects of her game, her Olympic dream and her passion for her sport. 

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Annu Rani on doing her best and hopefully qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics

A few hours after throwing her season-best of 61.98m in the third Indian Grand Prix, Annu Rani connected with us for an interview. Despite the earlier exhaustion, the 28-year-old athlete was ready to speak about her future goals — which mainly revolve around the upcoming Olympics. 

"I did very well today," Annu said, aware that they have started playing after the COVID-19-forced hiatus last year. She explained that as they play, the improvement is seen. "As the competitions continue, I am also gaining very good experience". 

While the Olympics will forever remain her main goal, Annu is also focused to do well in the next Federation Cup. "My target will be to do my best in the Federation (Cup), and qualify for the Olympics". 

Like most athletes, Annu has trained through the trying COVID-19 pandemic last year, working hard to maintain her form. "Even there was COVID (quarantine/lockdown), I had not returned home," Annu revealed. She spoke about working as much as she could, especially when it was not even allowed to leave their hostel. 

Despite the 2020 Tokyo Olympics getting postponed, Annu was confident that the Olympics would happen — only motivating her to continue her training. 

She further detailed and broke down her training process, reminding everyone that javelin throw was more than just throwing the javelin. "Even one throw is the result of our years of hard work," she said, training for seven to eight hours at the hostel. Annu explained how the event is more technical than people think, needing both power and speed. 

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That being said, Annu even discussed the state of Athletics in India right now. "It is developing slowly," Annu said, believing that improvement is consistent. There are under 16 and under 18 categories for children to participate in now, which were unavailable when Annu started her career. While she believes the arrangements at the Grand Prix were "okay", she is looking forward to the Federation Cup — which might allow their fans back into the venue. 

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Annu Rani records

Reminiscing her incredible journey, Annu highlighted two moments that she considers most special. She mentioned her 22-year-old self at the Asian Games (Incheon, Korea), where she did her absolute best and brought home a medal for the country. 

Her second moment was the 2019 World Athletics Championship, where she became the first Indian woman javelin thrower to do so. For Annu, those moments are what motivate her to work harder. She explained that while she might get sad, these moments are what keeps motivating her to do better for the country. 

Also read | Annu Rani's journey to gold medal at National Athletics Championships: Annu Rani Javelin throw

Towards the end, Annu spoke about the importance of inspiring a younger generation — something which stems from her own struggles. Starting out without any of the required facilities, Annu has herself worked towards victory, believing anyone can do the same.

"There is nothing extraordinary in me," Annu said, humble about her talent and achievements. "Just keep on working hard". 

Urging everyone to try sports at least once — sports has been the most important part of Annu's life — she believes that if one works, they will eventually reach their aim just like she did. 

(Image credits: Annu Rani Instagram)