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Asian Games 2018: Indian heptathlete Swapna Barman is fretting over her shoes!

Swapna, who finished fifth on her Asian Games debut as teenager in Incheon four years ago is now fretting about her shoes ahead of next week's athletics competition in Jakarta.

Swapna Barma

Bengaluru, August 21: Indian heptathlete Swapna Barman, who was born with six toes on each foot, has got a big worry as the athletics events of 2018 Asian Games, which is currently underway in Indonesia cities of Jakarta and Palembang, are about to start.

The daughter of a rickshaw puller, Swapna, who finished fifth on her Asian Games debut as teenager in Incheon four years ago is now fretting about her shoes ahead of next week's athletics competition in Jakarta.

"Ahead of the Games, my main worry is I'm not getting the right shoes for high jump," she told Reuters news agency in an interview from her training centre in Patiala.

"I never had customised shoes and I've been managing with a model which is unfortunately no longer available in India. I still have an old pair of them and I'm going to use them in Jakarta," Swapna added.

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The locally manufactured shoes in her hometown of Jalpaiguri were no good, so Swapna tried several brands before realising she would have to make do with standard-sized footwear.

The extra width of her feet means every landing is painful and the shoes do not last long either, but she has so far resisted the suggestion to have her extra digits surgically removed.

"It's a problem and I think I may have to live with it for the rest of my life," she said.

"Some people did suggest surgery to get rid of the extra toes but I'm not sure about it. Anyway, I'm now focusing on the Asian Games and will think about all it later."

Knee and ankle injuries kept Swapna on the sidelines for nearly a year before she made a comeback in June to secure her second Asian Games participation.

"Her preparation has been slightly up and down, partly because of injuries. We are trying to extract the maximum out of her at the Games," said Swapna's coach Subhas Sarkar.

"She has tremendous willpower. If she can manage to get near to her personal best (5,942), that should get her a medal," he added.

Uzbek Ekaterina Voronina won the women's heptathlon gold with 5,912 at the Incheon Games four years ago, while Swapna totalled 5,178.

"She is good at jumps, throw and hurdles but running has never been her strong point and we need improvement there," Sarkar added.

The medal events in athletics of the 2018 Asiad begins on August 25.

(With inputs from Agencies).

Story first published: Friday, August 31, 2018, 12:37 [IST]
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