All you need to know about Shaili Singh, the next big thing in Indian track and field

Shaili Singh won India’s third medal at the ongoing U20 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi on Sunday. The 17-year-old long jumper jumped 6.59m at the U20 Worlds. The effort—her personal best—was short of the gold-medal-winning effort by just one centimetre, jumped by Sweden’s reigning European junior champion Maja Askag. Shaili was leading at the end of the third round but the 18-year-old Swedish jumper overtook her by one centimetre in the fourth round. This was to be the difference in the end. Mariia Horielova of Ukraine took the bronze with a best jump of 6.50m. So who is Shaili, who has shown potential to become the next wunderkid of Indian athletics? Here’s everything you need to know about her: Raised by a single mother The Jhansi-born athlete was raised by a single mother, Vinita, who used to work as a tailor. Shaili had won the women’s long jump event at the National (Senior) Inter-State Championships in June with an effort of 6.48m, her previous personal best. She is the current U-18 World No 2 and U-20 national record holder. However, there were four other jumpers ahead of her in the provisional entry list for the long jump event. READ:  Sprinter's speed, aircraft's take-off, and mid-air jaunts, Anju Bobby George breaks down long-jump Anju Bobby George’s protégé The 17-year-old Shaili has been groomed by Robert George, the husband and coach of Anju Bobby George. She currently trains at the academy of Anju Bobby George in Bengaluru. Robert took Shaili under his wing almost four years ago, a report in The Indian Express said. Robert first saw his ward jumping at the junior national championships at Vijayawada’s Manglagiri. But even though Shaili only finished fifth, Robert saw a spark in her and immediately spoke to her to get her to join the academy of his wife, track and field legend Anju Bobby George.

Third medal for #India at the #WorldAthleticsU20

LONG JUMPER SHAILI SINGH WINS
A SILVER MEDAL with a jump of 6.59m

European Champion Maja Askag of Sweden takes home Gold with a leap of 6.60m, a centimetre better!

Super proud of you #ShailiSingh, well done Champ! pic.twitter.com/hkAsQoiPTH

— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) August 22, 2021

Heartbroken by a silver medal Robert, according to a report in The Press Trust of India, said after the silver medal that Shaili was weeping after the event. “She was weeping (after the event), she knew she could have won the gold. There was a bit of a technical issue while landing, otherwise she could have cleared 6.65m or even 6.70m,” he said before adding: “It is the first time she has not winning a gold in any competition. She (Shaili) hates silver and she is the big thing after Neeraj Chopra.” The young but promising jumper said: “I could have jumped farther than the 6.59m and won the gold. My mother had told me about winning gold and the national anthem being sung in the stadium (but I could not do it)." Since she’s just 17, she can still compete at the next edition of the U20 World Championships, which will be held in the city of Cali in Colombia. If she makes the cut, she could also compete at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in the coming year. “I am just 17, I want a gold in next,” she said.