The 12-Toed Indian Athlete Knows Where The Shoe Pinches

[JANASENA]

 

Swapna Barman was born at Jalpaiguri in north Bengal with six toes in each foot; but has not allowed her condition to stop her from going for gold. At the recently-concluded Asian Games in South Korea, she travelled with five pairs of shoes but not a single pair was a perfect fit. Her performance at Incheon was “dismal”, she says — she came third in the women’s heptathlon 200m heats — because she “couldn't even better her own record, leave alone winning a medal”. But Barman desists from placing the blame on her lack of quality footwear.

“The fact is that she goes through a lot of pain as her sixth toe folds up inside a shoe. But then I have not heard of any technology that can take care of that. It's a pain she will have to live with." her father said. 

Pain is big hurdle in her sports, and she is from very poor family to have any special footwear made. But if we all decide not to let her pain bring her down from achieving the heights in sports and making India proud, we can gift her 'the dream' to play without pain and bring medals for India in 2018 Asian Games.