Suhail looks to vault his way out of poverty

For the people living near Korman Kadappuram, a fishing hamlet at Tanur in Malappuram district, a youngster running and vaulting with a piece of bamboo is a familiar sight. He uses bamboo sticks as poles while the sand on the seashore serves as a vault pit for him. Mohammed Suhail, who hails from the fishing community, is passionate about pole vaulting, but poverty has been a deterrent to his aspirations to excel in his chosen sport.

The financial distress forced Suhail to drop out of Class X. To supplement the household income, he joined the elders in the community and ventured into the sea for fishing. Every day, after returning from the sea, he would pick up the bamboo sticks and indulge in his favourite pastime on the seashore along with his friends Sajnad and Sarheekh. The two friends would be seen clapping and whistling to cheer Suhail up as he warms up at the end of the 'runway'.

Recently, Sajnad captured Suhail's jump on his mobile phone and shared the video through his social media account. It went viral and caught the attention of sports authorities at the Calicut University. Impressed by their passion and dedication, the Department of Sports has offered to train them for free at the university's jump facility. Sports Minister V Abdurahiman, who represents the Tanur assembly constituency, has met the trio and assured full support from the state government to help them realise their dreams.

"I wish to buy a pair of jump spikes, but my immediate goal is to appear for the SSLC examination," said the 20-year-old Suhail."