Sandra emerges from a cloud of doubt

PALA : She doesn’t even remotely resemble an athlete. The 17-year-old appears frail, her legs are too skinny - so much so one of the national long jumpers once taunted her saying she has got ‘chicken legs’ - and stands at an average height of 168cm. At this height, and with the sort of physique she has, one can expect Sandra Babu to be any thing but an athlete.

In a sport like athletics where every extra inch of height and every extra pound of weight can make a huge impact, Sandra can’t even be counted as a ‘misfit’. However, it was this diminutive athlete who lit up the day threatened by rain clouds. She bettered the school national record by leaping 6.07m in the junior long jump, an effort that also came tantalisingly close to the national youth record of 6.10m set by Ruta Patkar in 2001.

She couldn’t hide her surprise. “I was hoping for a jump of around 5.85-5.90m mark,” she told Express.
“I had jumped 5.85m in the district meet. So it was a pleasant surprise that I could cross the six-metre mark,” said the student of Mathirapilly GVHSS and a trainee of M A Athletics Academy in Kothamangalam.

Hailing from Kelamangalam in Kannur, Sandra came to M A Academy three years ago. In the first two school meets, she didn’t win any medal. Sandra’s father was a rubber tapper and the family thought athletics would improve their life. They didn’t take the setbacks lightly and were about to take Sandra back when coach T P Ouseph intervened. He told them to wait for another two years to see the results. 
“Like my family, I was also disheartened. But Ouseph sir changed my mind,” Sandra revealed.
So what exactly prompted the veteran coach, who had nourished talents like Anju Bobby George and Lekha Thomas among others, to hold back the slender girl?

Ouseph at first chuckled at the question and then opened up. “She didn’t have a strong frame and height like Anju. Nor was she super fast. Speed is one of the greatest attributes of a track athlete. She was not that quick. Her positives were her body posture, which was technically correct, and a flexible and supple body texture. Plus, her mindset was also good. She had the dedication and a spirit to strive hard. I couldn’t overlook those positives and I told her to stay back,” he said. Three seasons later, the coach and the Plus One student felt vindicated about their decisions.