From Rural Jharkhand To Khelo India Glory: Sabina Kumari Races Her Way To National Spotlight

Sabina Kumari started out on a dusty track in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, far from the glamour of indoor velodromes and high-end training facilities. Yet, she quietly amazed everyone with her raw talent and determination (More Sports News)

The 18-year-old, daughter of a daily-wage worker and a homemaker, stepped into her first KIYG with little noise but left with two gold medals and a bronze. No shortcuts, no spotlight, just a teenager who dared to dream and pedalled her way into the national spotlight.

Sabina clinched gold in the girls’ Keirin and Team Sprint events, and a bronze in the 200m Sprint. “This was my first Khelo India Youth Games and I’m thrilled. The Keirin gold was the sweetest,” said the youngster, currently training at the National Centre of Excellence.

Her journey into sports wasn’t planned. “I didn’t even know what sports meant back then,” she recalled. It all began in 2017, when her father enrolled her in a talent hunt under the Jharkhand government’s Central Coalfields Ltd programme, hoping only for a better future for his daughter.

By the age of 12, Sabina was at the Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society (JSPS) Academy in Ranchi. It was there that cycling coach Ram Kapoor Bhatt spotted her raw speed and reflexes, encouraging her to take up sprint cycling. A former medallist himself, Bhatt became a mentor figure.

“I started training under Ram Sir in 2018, and from there, everything changed,” she said. In 2021, she made her national debut in Jaipur and returned with a gold and bronze. “That gave me the belief that I could aim higher,” she said.

Her family’s limited means made the dream seem distant at times, but Khelo India’s support changed the equation. “It’s because of the Khelo India Scheme that I’m even here,” Sabina said.

In 2024, she took the next step—winning her first international medal as part of India’s sprint team at the Asian Championships in Delhi. Now a trainee at the SAI National Centre of Excellence at IG Stadium, she is under the guidance of French sprint legend Kevin Sireau. “Training under him has improved my technique. My goal now is to make it to the Olympics.”

Despite her packed schedule, Sabina continues her education through self-study and remains grounded. “There are many girls in rural India like me who have dreams but lack opportunities. I want them to know that with focus and hard work, it’s possible.”

She also credits her coach for nurturing more local talent. “Ram Sir now trains 25–30 kids. He wants us all to succeed. I’m lucky to have found him when I did.”

Sabina Kumari’s breakout at the Khelo India Youth Games is not just about medals, it’s proof of how talent, when backed by opportunity, can race far ahead of its origins.