It was the 2019 national athletics camp based at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. Jilna MV’s career was on the up. The Kerala sprinter had produced her personal best in 100 metres that September and had set sights on bettering the mark at the international meets that were just around the corner.
However, the 22-year-old’s world turned upside down after a routine medical check-up found she was pregnant. “It came as a big shock and the news was hard to digest at first. I was in the best moment of my career and I wasn't ready for pregnancy. But after discussing it with my husband, we decided to go ahead with it,” said Jilna.
Taking a long road to recovery following the mental and physical exertions of childbirth, Jilna was back to her prime this week in the 25th Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championship at the University of Calicut and made it memorable by clocking a personal best of 11.63s to secure silver in the 100m race behind Dutee Chand.
“It was very difficult to even train on my return. It took me almost three months to get back to my rhythm and another six to return to my previous levels,” she said. Jilna was also in action in the 200m race, a new event for her, on Wednesday where she rubbed shoulders against Assamese sprinter Hima Das and finished fourth.
The 24-year-old from Kannur believes she still has plenty to prove in her sporting career. “My goal is to win medals at the 2022 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. But to have a chance to do that, I need to first qualify for those events and that is where my focus lies at present,” said Jilna.
“We have the inter-state meet coming up in June which will be the final chance to secure qualification. So, the next two months are going to be a lot of hard work and dedication. Being your best version also has a lot to do with your mind and how you think,” said Jilna who is posted as a constable in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
Giving her strength in her comeback are her husband Moorthy K and his family as well as Jayakumar R, her personal coach, who is with Kerala State Sports Council based in Kollam. “I have trained under Jayakumar sir for eight years now and he gets you prepped up for competitions both mentally and physically,” she said.
Jilna has had to sacrifice plenty including precious time with her husband and kid in the last couple of years. But if she can book a ticket to Hangzhou or Birmingham in June, it would all have been worth it for the sprinter.
