Jalpaiguri, July 31 -- Asian Games gold medallist and Arjuna Award recipient Swapna Barman has announced her retirement from competitive athletics, bringing the curtain down on a glittering career. The 2018 Asian Games heptathlon champion made the announcement through a post on her official social media page on Friday, prompting an outpouring of reactions and speculation over her future.
When contacted over the phone, Swapna Barman said: "I took the decision to retire after a great deal of thought. I will share the details later."
The announcement disappointed many of her supporters, who urged her to reconsider the decision. It also fuelled speculation over whether the former athlete is preparing to return to active politics or pursue another path.
After winning the heptathlon gold at the 2018 Asian Games, Swapna was offered a job with the Indian Railways in Alipurduar and was later honoured with the Arjuna Award.
Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year, Swapna joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and contested from the Rajganj Assembly constituency, where she lost by more than 21,000 votes. According to reports, she resigned from her permanent job with the Indian Railways to contest the election. Before leaving for New Delhi to attend the Athletics Federation of India awards ceremony on June 20, she had said, "I gave up my job for the party. Now, no one from that party is in touch with me." Days later, she posted photographs from a gym, raising hopes among fans of a return to athletics.
After her retirement announcement, Suhrid Mondal, Secretary of the District Sports Association, said, "Swapna is the golden girl of Indian athletics. She should not leave the sporting arena like this. She belongs in sports."
Political sources claimed that following her electoral defeat, Swapna gradually distanced herself from TMC leaders. Former Rajganj MLA Khageswar Roy said she had not been in contact with him since the election.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.