Meet Devraj Singh, the pole vaulter from Rajasthan who works as security guard to keep his dreams alive

A young pole vaulter from Rajasthan has been working as a security guard to keep his sports dreams alive. Devraj Singh, who hails from Mali Khera village in Rajasthan, shifted to New Delhi in 2019 hoping to represent the country in the pole vault someday. It has been two years now but the 23-year-old has not found a suitable place to live or practice the sport. Singh also faces financial problems with the expenses required for pole vault. It seems that contending in any international tournament is a farfetched goal for him now. With no funding, financial help or support, the pole vaulter works as a security guard in the national capital’s Defence Colony to make ends meet. Despite the problems, Devraj is not giving up his dream of representing India internationally. “I have a dream to do well in the Pole vault in the Olympics and international tournaments but I have no money. So, I have to work as a security guard in the night shift to earn money,” Devraj Singh told ANI. Devraj has a dream of representing the country someday at the Olympics. So far, India has not seen any athlete who participated in the pole vault event at the Summer Games. While speaking to the news agency, Devraj said that he did not get any support from his family or friends and it highly impacted his practice. As Devraj is facing hardships in gathering facilities and equipment at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, he said he has sought help from concerned officials. The young athlete asserted that for pole vault, one needs proper shoes, or else, it may lead to serious foot injuries. But he hasn’t received any help so far. Expressing his interest in the Federation cup which is scheduled to take place in March next year, Devraj voiced his concern regarding his preparations. The athlete will soon be seen taking part in the 81st All India Inter-University Athletics Championship. The event is slated to take place from 4 to 7 January at Moodbidri near Mangalore in Karnataka.