Pole vaulter Devraj Singh works as security guard to make ends meet

Devraj Singh, a pole vaulter from Rajasthan, despite repeated attempts, has been facing difficulties in coping up with the expenses required for the sport.

Devraj shifted to Delhi in 2019, hoping to represent the country in the pole vault. Unfortunately it has been two years and he has not found a proper place to live and practice the sport. Hence, competing in tournaments is a far fetched goal.

Devraj's goal is to represent India at the Olympics. India has not seen an athlete participate in the pole vault event at the Summer Games till date.

Due to lack of funds, support and proper practicing facilities, Devraj is forced to work as a security guard to make ends meet.

"I have a dream to do well in the Pole vault in Olympics and international tournaments but I had no money . I am not able to find a proper place to live. There are many problems which I am facing due to which I am not able to practice properly. So, I have to work as a security guard in the night shift to earn money," said pole vaulter Devraj Singh to ANI.

Devraj further shared that he did not get support from his family, neither emotionally nor monetarily, which impacted his practice.

"My parents refused to give me money for practice, equipment and after that Covid lockdown took place. I am going to take part in a tournament but there are a lot of difficulties with food, diet and living. I am not able to find a proper place to live. There are many problems which I am facing due to which I am not able to practice properly," said the pole vaulter.

Devraj Singh seeks help from the officials

Devraj, who has been facing hardships in gathering equipment and facilities at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, had sought help from officials. Unfortunately, nothing has worked in his favor yet. He said:

"The problem is that in Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium pole vault is not happening at all. For pole vault we need proper shoes otherwise there can be injuries to the foot. The pole is also very expensive. I have one pole which is my own."

"We want to do well in sports for the country but we are getting no facilities. The government is not replying at all. My hard work is not paying off as there are proper facilities to train at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium because there is no pit for landing. Without a pit how can we practice pole vault," added Devraj.

While talking about the Federation cup scheduled to take place in March next year, Devraj expressed his concern regarding the practice.

"Foreign coaches want us to do well but coaches of JLN stadiums want the pole vault to be removed from the stadium. There are already 10 to 15 pole vaulters where will they go for practice. There are a lot of competitions coming up. The Federation Cup is coming up in March if we do not get proper practice then we won't be able to do well," said Devraj.

Despite the circumstances not in his favor, Devraj is not ready to give up unless he fulfills his dream of representing India internationally.

The 23-year-old will be competing at the upcoming 81st All India Inter-University Athletics Championship. He will be representing Guru Nanak Dev University at the event. The championship is slated to take place from January 4-7 at Moodbidri near Mangaluru in Karnataka.