From a school punishment to a National Record: Chuki Birda’s pole vault journey

Chuki Birda cleared 3.91m to win the women’s Under-20 pole vault title at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai. | Photo Credit: Siva Sankar A

Chuki Birda is the sixth of eight daughters in her family. Her mentor explains “Chuki” as a “full stop”, a name reflecting the hope that the next child would be a boy.

On Saturday, the 19-year-old from Hirawati in Rajasthan cleared 3.91m to win the women’s Under-20 pole vault title at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai. Her first-attempt clearance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium bettered the national U-20 record by a centimetre.

Her parents have encouraged her sporting ambitions. After winning gold, Chuki credited both of them, particularly her mother. But the journey to the record began at her village school, where a teacher spotted her ability during a punishment that required the children to run to a wall and back.

Ram Nivas Sahoo, a teacher at the government school in Hirawati and Chuki’s mentor since her schooldays, remembers allowing the quickest children to rest while the others repeated the run. Chuki finished comfortably ahead of the rest. The gap caught his attention, and he decided to give her a chance in sport.

Sahoo has been posted at the school for 18 years, teaching several subjects to Classes Six to Eight. He has also taken on a wider role in sport, finding people who can provide coaching, equipment and financial support for his pupils. He regularly invited people with sporting experience to the school, seeking advice on which events might suit the children.

Chuki tried several disciplines as Sahoo searched for an event in which she could excel. She began with the 100m, 200m and 400m before moving towards longer distances and hurdles. She also played kabaddi, winning a State-level bronze, according to Sahoo. But continuing in a team sport presented a practical problem: the village could not put together a side. He therefore shifted his focus to individual events, where she could compete without needing a team.

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Chuki reached national competition in the 800m and hurdles, Sahoo says, but the medals he hoped for had yet to follow. He could see her speed and fitness, but was still searching for an event in which those qualities might take her further.

Equipment opened the door to pole vault.

Sahoo’s former classmate, IAS officer Nidhi Choudhari, saw videos of the girls training and wanted to help.

“Our winters are very cold, and the summer is very hot. The girls work through both,” Sahoo said, explaining what had encouraged her to support them.

Choudhari connected the school with a Mumbai trust that provided sporting equipment worth around Rs. 10 lakh, Sahoo said. An Army acquaintance suggested trying pole vault, an event unfamiliar to the teacher. The trust’s donation supplied the landing pit and equipment needed to begin, while early lessons drew on YouTube videos as the group learnt the basics.

Chuki also had a family connection to the event: an elder sister was already pole vaulting. After a back injury interrupted her hurdling, Chuki rested before taking up pole vault. Choudhari later bought her a pole from the United States, which she used to set the record in Chennai.

The equipment gave the girls an opportunity to begin, but developing their skills required specialist coaching. Sahoo helped Chuki move to professional training under Captain Ramdhari Singh in Haryana.

She now trains privately under Singh in Kharak, near Bhiwani. Chuki spoke of her coach’s commitment to the athletes and his involvement throughout their training, from practice and warm-ups to cool-downs and injury management.

“The previous record was 3.90m, by Vanshika Ghanghas. She also used to train with our coach. He makes us work very hard and stays with us in the sun the whole day,” Chuki said.

Chuki Birda’s journey to the record began at her village school, where a teacher spotted her ability during a punishment that required the children to run to a wall and back. | Photo Credit: Siva Sankar A

Even after moving away from Hirawati, Chuki has remained connected to Sahoo. Her education continues alongside training. She studies privately rather than attending regular classes, appearing for examinations with Sahoo’s help. He continues to help her balance her studies with training in another State.

Injuries have repeatedly interrupted her progress. Chuki spoke of two or three setbacks during a period in which she struggled to improve her performances, while Sahoo recalled spells when she was unable to train. Her record clearance in Chennai was especially satisfying after such a long wait.

“I am feeling very good. This is my progress after a long time,” Chuki said. “I had injuries two or three times in between.”

The results over the season show how far she has come. At the Indian Open Jumps competition in March, she was third in the U-20 event with 3.20m. She subsequently won silver at the junior Federation competition with 3.40m. At the Indian Athletics Series meet in Panchkula in August, she cleared 3.50m.

On Saturday, she began at 3.50m and cleared 3.60m, 3.70m, 3.75m, 3.80m and 3.85m without a miss. She then skipped 3.90m and cleared 3.91m on her first attempt to break the national U-20 record. All seven successful clearances came on her first attempt.

She then attempted four metres but was unable to clear it in three tries. The height remained out of reach, but the gold and national record were already hers.

Back in Hirawati, a village of about 2,000 people by Sahoo’s estimate, around 50 to 60 girls are involved in sport. Several have competed at the national level, inspiring younger pupils to take up sport. Sahoo points to national medallists in the long jump, 800m and 3000m among the village’s athletes. Their achievements have helped draw more girls into training.

Four of Chuki’s sisters are married, while four are involved in sport, Sahoo says. Three, including Chuki, have competed nationally. A younger sister, Anchal Birda, is a heptathlete whose competition at these Championships was still to come when Sahoo spoke after Chuki’s victory.

For Chuki’s family, sporting success carries a more immediate significance. Her father, Chhotu Ram, farms, while her mother, Patasi Devi, is often unwell, according to Sahoo. He also spoke of a widowed elder sister and the financial difficulties the household has faced.

Sahoo said Chuki’s parents did not yet fully understand the scale of her national record. They hoped the opportunities sport offered her would lead to a job and a more secure livelihood.

“Their thought is that she will get a job through sport, earn a living and not have to struggle as much as they have,” Sahoo said, adding, “They don’t yet understand how big an achievement this is.”