BySiddhi Jain

September 15, 2019 (IANSlife) Swapna Barman, India's first gold medal winning heptathlete at the Asian Games in 2018, is hard at work these days. "I'm practicing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I'm working on strategy and aim to perform better than before,” Barman told IANSlife.

To maintain her focus, Barman has participated in few competitions this year. “I'm conserving my energy. I am doing 50-60 per cent practice as I'm also recovering from my injuries," she said.

She however, insists that she is fit. "I'm fit, but not competition-fit. I don't want to underperform, because I haven't practised enough," she said.

Barman was recently in New Delhi for the launch of the VRCT jacket by global sportswear giant, Adidas, which also makes customised shoes for her unique six-toed feet.

Speaking to IANSlife on the occasion, the Arjuna Award winner said she was proud of the feats of Indian sportspeople. "Watching athletes like P.V. Sindhu perform well also boosts your morale. These days people are encouraging towards sports, and I think there is enough happening. Even in villages, people have sports on their mind," said heptathlete, who hails from Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

So how does the 23-year-old spend her days? "Thinking about sports and singing" she laughed.

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Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in. 

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