(Instagram) What followed was perhaps even harder than the baggage of the Rio Olympics. Elite athletics is expensive, particularly for athletes outside cricket's financial ecosystem.

After changes to Kerala's athlete support programme following the pandemic, Raghavan found herself funding her own career while continuing to compete nationally." For the last five years, I have been training outside.

I was spending my own money," she says. " To compete in Indian Series meets, there is travelling, accommodation, everything.

Our monthly salary is simply not enough," she explained her hardships. The Palakkad-born remained a national medallist almost every year, yet sponsorship proved elusive."

I worked hard for five years to get sponsorship. After 25, it is very difficult to get one.

Reliance Foundation gave me a chance. I was 32 years old, and they trusted me," she said.

The timing was significant. Her mother's prolonged illness and subsequent death had left her questioning whether continuing was worth the emotional and financial burden."

I was under a lot of pressure because of my mother's condition, and later her death. But they gave me confidence that I can survive in any situation," added the athlete.

An event that chose herAsk most hurdlers why they chose their event and you'll hear stories about speed or rhythm. Raghavan's answer is different."

The event chose me," she laughs. As a schoolgirl, she played Kho Kho before entering Kerala's sports division.

Coaches tested her across sprinting, middle distance, jumps and hurdles. Her endurance stood out immediately."

My coach wanted me to run 400 metres. I kept telling him I wanted hurdles.

He promised that once I reached Plus One (Class 11), he would make me a 400m hurdler. That's exactly what happened."

She never looked back. From Asian Juniors to World Universities, every significant international appearance came in the 400m hurdles — an event widely regarded as one of athletics' most demanding disciplines.

It is neither a sprint nor a distance race. Ten hurdles interrupt rhythm every 35-45 metres, forcing athletes to combine speed, endurance and technical precision while fatigue steadily dismantles mechanics.

Focus on not just trainingAnu Raghavan is part of a 78-member strong Indian athletics contingent for the 2026 Asian Games. (Instagram) If there is one theme that runs through Raghavan's 2026 season, it is sports science.

Modern athletics has become obsessed with data: force plates, stride analysis, biomechanical sensors and race modelling. For Raghavan, those numbers did something years of training couldn't.

They restored belief." Earlier, we were just training," she says.

" Now we are using data, analysis, electronic equipment. We can actually read our strength.

When I compare my numbers, I know I'm not weak. That's what gave me confidence," she said.

Confidence mattered because her body had already tested her once this year. She crashed during the Federation Cup and dislocated her elbow.

54m at the Indian Championships - this season to seal her place in India's squad. I was talking to a mindset coach because I felt I could not handle the pressure anymore.

I even thought about leaving the sport. She asked me: ' Why did you start?'

I kept thinking about that for an hour. After that, everything changedAnu RaghavanThe difference, she insists, wasn't physical.

It was mental." I was talking to a mindset coach because I felt I couldn't handle the pressure anymore.

At this age, I even thought about leaving the sport," she says. " She asked me one question: ' Why did you start?'

I kept thinking about that for an hour. After that, everything changed," she said with a smile.

One last surge towards the podiumAnu Raghavan qualified for the Asian Games at the Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Odisha. (Instagram) With the Asian Games on the horizon, training became surprisingly uncomplicated.

There are fewer heavy strength sessions now. Less emphasis on raw speed.

More repetition of one thing: execution." We're focusing on race pattern now," Raghavan explains.

" Earlier it was fitness and speed. Now it's about how to execute the race in competition," she explained the process as the Asian Games begin on September 19.

Execution, in the 400m hurdles, means knowing exactly how many strides separate each barrier, where to attack, where to conserve, and how to resist panic when lactic acid begins flooding the legs after hurdle six. Even her mental preparation follows the same script."

I visualise the race," she says. " I think about my legs, my speed, and how I want to execute every hurdle."

Eight women from Asia are faster and younger than Raghavan, and six of them will compete in Aichi-Nagoya. The women's 400m hurdles in Asia is deeper than it was in 2018.

But medals are not always the only measure of redemption. It offers the opportunity of finally hearing her name announced as an Asian Games medallist: in real time, on the track, with the podium waiting.

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