The amazing comeback of 33-year-old marathon runner OP Jaisha

33-year-old marathon runner OP Jaisha was forced to lead a life in abject poverty after her father was left bed-ridden due to an unfortunate bus accident.

There were days the runner and her family had to eat mud to survive.

Her mother later took a loan from a bank and bought cows so they could earn a living selling milk. At that time, Jaisha did not expect her life to turn out to be anymore exciting than a milk delivery girl.  

But unbeknownst to her, running an average of 10 kilometres daily at high altitudes to deliver milk blessed her with the natural strength and stamina to compete in long distance races.

Jaisha caught the attention of a local coach named Girish at a sports exhibition who recommended her to Assumption College that boasts of the best athletics facility in Kerala. For the first time in her life, Jaisha received regimented training. 

In 2005, she clinched her first international win at the Asian Indoor Games held at Bangkok, where she  bagged the gold for the 1500 metres and the 3000 metres.

Jaisha first represented India at the Commonwealth Games held at Melbourne in 2006, later that same  year, she took part  in the Asian Games at Doha where she won the bronze medal for the 5000 metres  run.               

Between 2006 and 2010, her career struck a major roadblock due to financial commitments and a nasty injury, and she hit a personal low at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. But the determined athlete came back with a bang when she broke the national record for the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 50th National Inter-State Athletics Championships.

Jaisha’s life turned around when she met her future husband and athletics coach Gurmeet Singh. Gurmeet quit his job and travelled with her to Dharamsala, where the Sports Authority of India’s high altitude training centre is located. They  spent nine months training at Dharamsala where she slowly regained her strength.

 In 2014, she was called back to join the national squad to the Asian Games where she won the bronze medal for the 1500  metres.

Jaisha, proved to everyone how far determination and hard work can take you, when she broke a 19-year national record at the 2015 Mumbai Marathon.  

The Malayalee is now gearing up to participate in her first ever Olympics. While winning a medal may be hard at the world’s biggest sporting event, Jaisha aims to finish in the top 8 and we think this Kerala-born marathoner is very capable of making India proud at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

• Rio Olympics 2016
• OP Jaisha
• Marathon
• India in Olympics