Gujarat’s rising sprinter Kajal Waza has once again proved that with determination, discipline and tireless hard work, even talents coming from ordinary families can achieve success on the international stage. 19-year-old Kajal, from Chorwad village in Junagadh district, played an important role in India winning the silver medal in the women’s 4X100 meter relay event in the 22nd Asian Under-20 Athletics Championship held in Hong Kong on Sunday.
Representing the Indian team along with Bhavana of Tamil Nadu, Aarti of Haryana and Nipam of Uttar Pradesh, Kajal helped the team register a time of 45.04 seconds. With this performance, the Indian team won the silver medal and India also set a new national record in the Under-20 category. The Indian team demonstrated its speed, teamwork and superiority in baton exchange by breaking the previous national record of 45.08 seconds. Kajal’s achievement becomes more inspiring considering her modest economic background.
His father Hirabhai Vaja is an ordinary farmer of Chorwad village on the sea coast of Junagadh district and works as an agricultural labourer. Despite financial challenges, Kajal remained focused on her sports career and made many sacrifices to make her dreams come true. To perform well on the track, Kajal took a drop of a year in Class 12 and focused on training and preparing for the competition. He has now got the fruits of his dedication and hard work on the international stage. Kajal’s family relative Manthan Dabhi said, Kajal had a special passion for sports since her school days and she has consistently performed well in various competitions.
The secret of Kajal’s success is hard work.
Kajal Waja’s coach Shivam Upadhyay attributes Kajal’s success to her continuous hard work and strong desire to achieve excellence. He said, Kajal is one of the most promising young sprinters of the country. Making Gujarat proud, he has won many medals in 100m, 200m and relay events. His discipline, confidence and competitive mindset make him different from other players. She participates in every training session with full dedication and constantly strives to improve her performance.
Talent shown at National-International
The silver medal won in Hong Kong is another important addition to Kajal’s list of achievements. Earlier, he had also won a silver medal in 4X100 meter relay in the South Asian Senior Athletics Championship held in Ranchi in the year 2025. Apart from this, the national record of Under-20 category in 60 meter event is also in his name.
In the first Indoor Open Athletics Championship held in Bhubaneswar in the month of March this year, Kajal won the gold medal in 60 meter race by registering a time of 7.50 seconds and also set a new national record. This achievement has earned him a place among the most talented young sprinters of India.
School to Sports Trip
Kajal’s sports journey started from the school program of Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG) of Gujarat state. After this, she joined the District Level Sports School (DLSS) located in Kodinar in 2019, where her talent was systematically honed.
Recognizing her potential, she was selected for the High-Performance Center (HPC) in Nadiad in 2023, where she has recently been receiving state-of-the-art training and guidance. Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister Harsh Sanghvi congratulated Kajal and the Indian relay team for their excellent achievement.
Gujarat government is making dreams of players come true
Sports Minister Sanghvi said, the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is committed to providing all the necessary facilities to the players to realize their global dreams. Kajal’s achievement is a moment of pride for Gujarat and the entire country. It is noteworthy that in the same championship, another player from Gujarat and resident of Vapi, Rahul Jakhar has won the gold medal in decathlon by setting a new national record.
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