For the first time in her life, 19-year-old Maya laced up a pair of professional spike shoes. As she stepped onto the track at the U-20 Federation Cup on Saturday, it wasn’t just a race, it was the weight of years of struggle, sacrifice and hope.“My mother sold whatever little gold she had so I could run in good shoes,” Maya said, her voice trembling as emotions took over.Hailing from the small village of Sitto Gunno in Abohar, Maya’s journey to the track has been anything but easy. Born into a family of farm labourers, she grew up in poverty alongside six sisters and a brother. Education was a luxury the family could not afford. None of her siblings received education. For years, they lived in a single room provided in the fields where her father worked.“I only started going to school when I was 10, after my father managed to build a small house for us,” she recalled.But even that fragile stability did not last. Just three years ago, Maya was forced to drop her studies for a year again when her father and brother fell ill. To support her family, she entered the fields herself.“I still remember those days….working in the fields instead of studying or training,” she said, struggling to hold back tears.Despite the setbacks, Maya found her calling in sports during her school years. Her hard work paid off, and she won two silver medals at a national relay event in Chandigarh.At the Federation Cup in Bengalore, she gave her personal best in her 400 m race.Maya trains in Jalandhar under coach Sarabjit Singh Happy, whom she credits for standing by her through thick and thin. “He has supported me a lot,” she said. Sarabjit Happy said that Maya is the most sincere athlete. “I have been trying to help her since she came in contact with me, she is a promising athlete,” he said.Growing up without proper nutrition, she often draws comparisons from her farming background. “Just like a good crop needs proper fertilizer, an athlete needs good food. I hardly had that,” she explained, offering a glimpse into the silent battles she has fought.Yet, through every hardship, one constant source of strength remains, her father’s unwavering belief. “He always tells me he is with me no matter what. That gives me strength,” she said, breaking down once again.Today, Maya runs not just for medals, but for a dream, to lift her family out of the struggles. “I want to compete in the Asian Championships and the Commonwealth Games,” she said with determination. “I want to give my family a life they never had.”