Pregnant Meghana Sajjanar is scripting story of courage for Indian sports

Her body feels different. She moves with more caution in her steps, the pace slower, but her ambitions unchanged. Eight months pregnant Meghana Sajjanar is scripting a story of courage for Indian sports, one that challenges the Indian stereotypes.

Pistol shooter Meghana is owning her moment in a sport where precision matters and slightest variation can reflect heavily on your performance.

“Internationally, we have seen women compete at the Olympics during pregnancy. But in India, there’s still a stereotype that women don’t participate in sports during pregnancy. They’re often expected to take an early break,” Meghana told The Bridge on Sunday.

“For me, I kept asking myself why not? If not now, then when will I give my best? I just kept pushing myself every single day. The doctor said ‘You can keep shooting until your last day of the due date’. And with the right support from physios, my coach, and above all, my family, I felt empowered to keep going,” Meghana credited.

Owning the moment 

At the ongoing Asian Shooting Championship in New Delhi, Meghana won an individual bronze and a team gold in 10m Air Pistol.

In the mixed team event, the 32-year-old teamed up with Rudrankksh Patil to shoot the third-highest score of 629 in the qualification round.

Olympians Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan, the eventual winners with a World Record effort, represented India in the final.

A commendable consistency from Meghana while gracefully embracing the challenges that pregnancy has presented.

“The difficulty level has obviously increased in this phase and mentally also, I’m becoming stronger. Breathing got a little difficult as I have progressed in the pregnancy. I can’t take long breaths or hold breaths,” Meghana elaborated.

In the qualification round, Meghana registered the fifth best score with 628.6.

Sharing a light moment from the qualification, where Meghana scored 629 , Meghana said, “When I started with my qualification, there was a lot of movement from the baby and it was just not stopping and I was like, okay, calm down. Then the baby also started to settle and I did a lot of self-talk. I just kept going in the process and kept talking to the baby. It was a different feeling,”

New Delhi is not Meghana’s first international tournament since her pregnancy. She won her first World Cup medal, a bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle, in Ningbo last year. Meghana was five months pregnant then. But the attention around her performance and her pregnancy intensified only recently.

Pushing through challenges

Meghana trains with coach Rakesh Manpat at the Padukone Rapid Sports Centre in Bangalore. The facilities, she says, made it possible for her to continue.

“The facilities were such that I didn’t have to lift anything. I had to go, train, and leave everything there and come back. So, there’s no hassle of carrying stuff or anything. That gave me a lot of mental peace. In Delhi, fellow shooters offered help to carry the stuff,” she pointed.

For a rifle shooter, long hours of standing tests patience, posture, balance, leg stability, core strength, and breath control, among other skills. On top of this, the customized jacket and trousers add to the stiffness, making movement even more challenging.

“Obviously the body kept changing, every single day was different. I made a lot of alterations with the kit because of the new rules and I was mindful of what was happening with the body.

“Initially, the first four months and a half, it was fine. I was like, it’s not so difficult to shoot at this stage. I kept doing the necessary changes as and when the challenges came in.”

“As I progressed the difficulty level kept increasing especially with the balance and the body movement was quite a lot. So, I had to adapt to that and technically also, I had to change a little bit of my shot preparations,” she highlighted.

Financial support

Last year, bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana stepped in to support Meghana with a new rifle. Her face brightens as she informs The Bridge that she along with her coach is in the process of starting a foundation to support shooters like herself.

“Last year during the nationals, Ayushmann’s team came forward and helped out by sponsoring the rifle. It is still in the import process. The support meant a lot for us. Now myself and my coach, an international medalist, are starting a foundation to support athletes, who are performing well at the international level and need support in the longer run,” Meghana informed.

Inspired by Serena Williams

Serena Williams was eight weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open in 2017. Meghana, too, like many athletes, took inspiration from the legendary tennis player.

“I did take inspiration from Serena Williams actually. So, reading her book and the story and everything Inspired me. If she can play tennis then why not shooting? Tennis is a very physically demanding sport compared to shooting,” she said.

“I think pregnancy is part of life. It’s not an illness or disability. You can still keep doing what you want to do. And keep pushing yourself, irrespective of the field you are in,” she opined.

With her due date only a month away, Meghana is targeting a return to shooting ahead of the Asian Games. But with selection trials slated for next month, her comeback will depend on how things unfold.

“I’ll be taking a short break and then coming back. I definitely don't know how the recovery part will be. I’m hoping for the best and preparing for the best,” she concluded.