Indian athlete Swapna Barman, who finished 26th in women's heptathlon at the World Championships, has claimed that she was on the verge of pulling out of the competition owing to a recurring back pain
Swapna makes an attempt with a javelin during the heptathlon event on Sunday. Pic/AP, PTI
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Indian athlete Swapna Barman, who finished 26th in women's heptathlon at the World Championships, has claimed that she was on the verge of pulling out of the competition owing to a recurring back pain.
Barman said that the back pain, which she first had in late 2014 after taking part in the Incheon Asian Games, returned to trouble her after she ran the first event, 100m hurdles on Saturday. She, however, continued with the remaining six events to finish 26th, just a place above the bottom, with a total of 5431 points.
The seven heptathlon events were spread over two days and ended on Sunday.
"I had this back pain after the 2014 Asian Games and the whole of 2015 and 2016, I could not do much training and competition. I began proper training in February 2017 only and then I won the Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar to qualify for the World Championships," Barman said.
"The back pain returned and after running the 100m hurdles here (on Saturday), I was feeling real pain. I called up my coach at home and told him I want to pull out of competitions. He told me to continue somehow.
"He said it will be a waste of an opportunity if I pulled out and people will not talk about me very kindly. He said if I can continue somehow I should do that. So I continued and completed the remaining six events," said the 20-year-old from West Bengal.
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