India, Oct. 2 -- Two centimetres separated Ancy Sojan from gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. The Kerala long jumper took silver with 6.53m, yet much of the conversation online turned to her braids, beads, ribbons, makeup and jewellery. Some commenters also suggested her appearance had cost her the title.

Sojan was unmoved. "Let them troll because they do not have this award and don't know the value of this medal and how much I worked hard for it. Their trolling is never gonna be make me lose these (clips). I will continue this as this is my confidence," she told PTI.

The 25-year-old national record holder is hardly the only athlete whose personal style has become part of her public identity. Yet, when athletes depart from e...