India doesn’t have a dearth of inspirational athlete life stories. Coming from a country like ours, it’s very difficult to pursue your dreams when you do not have sufficient funds. Every step is a struggle, be it education, arts, sports, or even getting married.
So when Poonam Sonune pursued athletics, it came with its own set of hardships because she had taken an extra set of family responsibilities on her shoulders.
When her father decided to get her older sister married, 19-year old Poonam took on the responsibility of arranging funds for the ceremony having known that her family cannot afford a decent wedding.
Her family hails from the Sagwan village in Buldhana district and her father is an agricultural labourer who runs the household on a meagre income.
She bagged a gold in the 2018Â South Asian Junior Athletics for 3000m race, so no one doubted her abilities.
Having known about her athletic skills her school had sent her to train under athlete Vijendrasingh.
For some time Poonam’s father bore the expenses but soon gave in with time. But through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities, Vijendrasingh managed to raise the required funds.
Poonam’s and her family’s lives were about to change. Not only did she participated in the Pune half marathon but also won it, bringing home a whopping 1.25 lakhs!
She did it! Her sister would now have a beautiful and memorable wedding.
However as fate would have it, Poonam couldn’t witness her sister’s wedding because she was selected to appear for the upcoming South Asian Games.
Now, Poonam’s new dream is to win more marathons to help her family build a house in the future.
Destiny wouldn’t make it easy for Poonam and her family. But that didn’t stop her from going ahead and snatch the “could have beens” and turn them into a beautiful reality!