'Didn't Tell My 78-Year-Old Mother I Was Going To Asian Games': Seema's Emotional Revelation

Seema after winning Asian Games 2026 bronze.© X (formerly Twitter)

History-making long-distance runner Seema did not want her septuagenarian mother to fret over her whereabouts when she headed to Japan for the Asian Games. So, she figured a simple solution -- fly away without telling her about the biggest assignment of her career. Seema, who fetched a surprise bronze in the women's 10,000m race by clocking 32:50.05, says she has a protective mother who worries excessively whenever she travels. But over the years, she has made peace with Seema being in Bengaluru for lengthy training stints and this is exactly the assumption she left her with while heading to Nagoya.

"My father is no more. I have my mother but she is quite old, around 78. I was born very late, when she was 45. Whenever I go out, she gets very tensed. So, I did not tell her that I am going to Japan for the Asian Games," Seema said after winning her medal.

"But whenever she finds out, she will not be able to sleep for a day. She (mother) has a high blood pressure problem and so whenever I go for training camps or for tournaments, I don't tell her much. I only tell my sister."

Seema left for Nagoya after briefing her elder sister, who, by now, must have spread the word, especially after Seema's medal-winning show.

The 25-year-old hails from Reta village in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district and on Thursday she became only the third Indian to win a medal in the women's 10,000m race, after Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut won gold and silver respectively in the 2010 Asian Games.

Asked if her mother now knows where she is, Seema said, "She (mother) might have known by now from my sister, they might be watching me on television."

"Otherwise, she (mother) must be thinking that I am currently in Bengaluru (SAI Centre)."

"I have an elder sister. She is around 45 years old. There are six of us in the family. I am the youngest."

When her father passed away, Seema was just 12 years old and she spent her childhood running barefoot and herding cattle. Her mother backed her in taking up athletics even as the villagers frowned upon it.

"It's my first Asian Games. I am proud that I won the bronze medal and I have realised my dream."

Talking about the race, she said all the competitors were looking for the medal and not for the timings.

"The race was very tactical. Everyone ran for the medal. I also thought that I will fight for the medal because it was my first Asian Games. Everyone wants to win gold for their country.

"I fought to win gold, but I won the bronze medal. I am happy, but my next event is on September 28, which is the 5000m. I will try my best to change the colour of my medal," said Seema, who won a silver in the World University Games last year.

On her preparations for the Asian Games, she said, "I trained under Scott Simon. We train with the Olympic champions and that has helped us in performance as well as in the mental aspect. We have the same mindset that we can compete with the best."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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