Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), April 1 (IANS) On December 29, 2025, Bethlyne Grace Makri’s coaches at the SAI Sports Training Centre (STC) in Shillong suddenly saw a spark in her as a race-walker. Ironically, Bethlyne herself knew very little about the event, including its technical requirements.

Until last year, the young athlete from Meghalaya competed as a middle- and long-distance runner. However, at the beginning of 2026, she was instructed to change disciplines, challenging her physical and mental resilience.

Bethlyne, from the Khasi tribe, faced a tough transition. The initial weeks were especially difficult as she experienced intense lower-body pain and struggled to learn the unfamiliar race walking technique. She also had many sleepless nights, and her confidence started to waver.

Support from her coaches and family motivated her to persevere. As the youngest and only daughter among three siblings, Bethlyne chose to accept the challenge and focused on mastering the technical aspects of the sport before heading to Jagdalpur for the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026.

“The first two weeks were really tough, particularly on the lower body. The technicalities of race walking are entirely different from middle or long-distance running, so it took time for me to understand that. Sleepless nights followed, nervous moments, and ultimately, I started doubting myself about whether the decision was right,” she recalled to SAI Media.

But on Wednesday, those efforts paid off well. Bethlyne completed the women’s race walk in 1:05:18 to earn the bronze medal, finishing behind Jharkhand’s Neha Xalxo (1:04:02) and Odisha’s Alish Ekka (1:04:59).

Moments after winning the medal, she attributed her success to the constant support of her coaches and family. “But my coaches and my family backed me fully, and kept motivating me to continue with it. I also thought of giving it a shot, and here I am today. There is room for improvement, but it was just the kind of start I needed,” she said.

“The bronze medal at the Khelo India Tribal Games is a testament to the hard work, belief, and backing of my coaches and my family, and it comes as a confidence booster for me to continue in the event,” she added.

Bethlyne, a second-year BA student at Shillong College, is proud to be the only race walker from Meghalaya to win a medal at the national level. “There are no race walkers from Meghalaya, and I believe my Khelo India medal will encourage youngsters to think about taking up the sport professionally. I have begun liking it too,” she said with a smile.

–IANS

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