Born : October 29, 1996 in Ghospara village, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal

Country : India

Sport : Athletics

Famous For : Win gold medal at 2018 Asian Games and placed first at 2017 Asian Athletics Championships

Father : Panchanan Barman, a rickshaw driver

Mother : Basana barman, works in a tea state

Disability is not inability. Swapna Barman proved this when she won gold in the 2018 Asian games.  Swapna hails from Jalpaiguri in Bengal. She was born with six toes on each of her feet. This made it painfully difficult to train and run in normal shoes. Her amazing story is will motivate you especially if you are or know somebody who is giving up because of disability. Here are seven factors about Swapna’s life that will inspire you.

7 Amazing Facts about Swapna Barman a Heptathlete :

1. The First to win Gold

At 21 years of age, Swapna became the first Indian Heptathlete to win Gold in the Asian Games. Before her, only two others had managed to get medals from the games. She won gold despite having six toes on each foot, short stature, infected tooth and gum, and ill-fitting shoes that caused her a lot of pain.

2. Lack of proper education

Coming from a poor family, information about Swapna’s education is not known. She has done physical education at the University of Calcutta in Kolkata. She trains at the sports authority of India campus at Kolkata.

3. Her Family Background

Swapna comes from a humble background. Her father Panchanan Barman was a rickshaw driver. He is currently bedridden due to stroke. Her mother Basana barman worked on a tea farm. Swapna has four siblings whose names are not known. Her home is in Jalpaiguri West Bengal.

4. Swapna’s Awards

In 2016, Swapna won a scholarship of 150,000 rupees an award, for her success in athletics. She won gold in 2017 at the Asian Athletics championships Patiala Federation cup. At the 2018 Asian games, she bagged gold. She also got a cash award of Rs 10 Lakh from the Government of West Bengal after winning Gold in the 2018 Asian games.

5. The family’s breadwinner

All the money Swapna gets from her wins goes to help her family. Her family budget increased when her father suffered a stroke. They went without meals and Swapna to could not afford to get wide shoes that would fit her.

6. Acknowledgement

The whole nation celebrated her when she won Gold at the Asian games in 2018. Her family and even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Swapna for doing them proud. Her townsmen shared dessert with everybody in her hometown to celebrate her achievement.

7. Her sponsorship

Swapna is supported by the GoSpotrts Foundation, through the Rahul David Athlete Mentorship Program. She is also supported by her coach mr. Sarkar. The Integral Coach Factory in Chennai linked up with the world’s chief manufacturer of sports footwear Nike to make customized shoes for Swapna. Training and competing in normal shoes was very painful to her.

Swapna is a great inspiration especially to people with disability. Her determination to make it in life finally paid off. She is now able to take good care of her family. Young people can emulate her too.

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