Kiʻi: Twitter Hānau ʻia ma 1948 ma Punjab, ʻo Kamaljeet Sandhu no ka hanauna mua o India manuahi. Ua pōmaikaʻi ʻo ia i ka ʻimi ʻana i kahi ʻoihana ma nā haʻuki, i ka wā e aʻo mau ana nā kaikamahine e hauʻoli i ke kūʻokoʻa ma waho o ko lākou ʻohana ponoʻī. ʻO ia ka wahine ʻōpio India mua i lanakila i ka mekala gula ma Bangkok Asian Games 1970 ma ka heihei 400 mika me ka mooolelo o 57.3 kekona. Ua paʻa ʻo ia i kēia moʻolelo aupuni ma 400 mika a me 200 mika pū kekahi no kahi kokoke i ʻumi makahiki a hiki i ka wā i haki ʻia ai e Rita Sen mai Calcutta a ma hope mai e P. T. Usha mai Kerala. No ka ʻohana i hoʻonaʻauao maikaʻi ʻia, ua paipai mau ʻia ʻo Sandhu e kona makuakāne e hahai i kona puʻuwai mai kona mau lā kula. ʻO kona makuakāne, ʻo Mohinder Singh Kora, he mea pāʻani hockey i kona mau lā kula a ua pāʻani pū ʻo ia me Olympian Balbir Singh.
I ka hoʻomaka ʻana o nā makahiki 1960, ʻaʻole i manaʻo ʻia nā kaikamahine e hana i nā hana kino koe wale nō ka hele ʻana mai kekahi puka a i kekahi, ʻo ia pū me ka hui! Ua hoʻololi loa ʻo Sandhu i kēlā kiʻi stereotypical o kahi kaikamahine a hakakā ʻo ia i nā mea pale i kēlā mau lā ma ke komo ʻole ʻana i nā hana haʻuki āpau akā waiho pū kekahi i kahi hōʻailona i loko o lākou a pau. He hōkū pāʻani ʻo ia ma nā ʻano haʻuki a pau, ʻo ia hoʻi ka pōʻaleʻa, hockey, holo, a i ʻole nā hana kino ʻē aʻe. Ua loaʻa kēia i ka manaʻo o nā mea a pau, a ua holo koke ʻo ia i kāna heihei 400 mika mua ma 1967 National Championships, akā ma muli o ka nele o ka ʻike a me ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa kūpono, ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke hoʻopau i ka heihei holoʻokoʻa. Ua eo ʻo ia, akā ua alakaʻi ʻo ia iā ia e aʻo ma lalo o Ajmer Singh, ʻo ia hoʻi ka mekala gula ma ka 1966 Asian Games.
ʻAʻole i loaʻa ka hoʻonaʻauao wahine i kēlā mau lā; ʻoiai ʻo ka National Institute of Sports (NIS) ma Patiala, Punjab, i hoʻokumu ʻia ma 1963, ʻaʻohe kumu aʻo no nā wahine. No laila he mea hou no Ajmer Singh e hoʻomaʻamaʻa i ka mea haʻuki wahine, a ʻo Sandhu wale nō e hahai i nā mea a kāna kumu aʻo i hana ai. Ma hope mai, ua noʻonoʻo ʻia ʻo ia no ka 1970 Asian Games a ua kāhea ʻia e hele i kahi hoʻomoana pōkole ma 1969 ma NIS. Ua makemake ʻole nā luna o laila iā ia no kona ʻano poʻo ikaika a manaʻolana lākou no kona hāʻule ʻana. Akā, ua hōʻoia hou ʻo ia iā lākou i ka hewa ma o ka lanakila ʻana i nā hoʻokūkū hoʻokūkū honua ʻelua ma mua o nā Pāʻani ʻAsia. ʻO kona ikaika a me kona kūpaʻa paʻa i kālai iā ia i ka holomua a me ke kaulana i kūpono iā ia. Ma hope o ka loaʻa ʻana o ka mekala gula ma ka 1970 Asian Games, ua hoʻohanohano ʻia ʻo ia me ka makana Padma Shri i 1971.
ʻO Sandhu ka mea hope loa i ka heihei 400 mika ma ka World University Games, Turin, Italia ma 1971. Ma hope mai ua noʻonoʻo ʻia ʻo ia no ka 1972 Munich Olympics. No ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana iā ia iho, hoʻomaka ʻo ia i kāna aʻo ʻana ma USA, kahi i lanakila ai ʻo ia i nā heihei liʻiliʻi. Akā naʻe, ʻaʻole hauʻoli ka Indian Federation i kēia hana āna no ka mea ua makemake lākou e komo ʻo ia i nā hoʻokūkū pae aupuni a mokuʻāina. No laila ua pīhoihoi ʻo ia i kona ʻike ʻana ʻaʻole i kākau inoa ʻia kona inoa no ka ʻOlumepika. I ka hopena, ua komo ʻo ia i loko o nā pāʻani, akā pili kēia i kona ʻano noʻonoʻo a me kāna huakaʻi e lanakila i ka 'Olumepika. Ma hope koke iho, ua hoʻomaha ʻo ia mai kāna ʻoihana haʻuki. Ua hoʻi ʻo ia i ka haʻuki i ka wā i hāʻawi ʻia ai ʻo ia e aʻo ma NIS i ka makahiki 1975, a ua hāʻawi nui ʻo ia i ka hoʻololi ʻana i ke ʻano o ke aʻo ʻana o nā wahine i nā haʻuki. No laila, ʻo kēia ka moʻolelo o Kamaljeet Sandhu, ka mea haʻuki wahine India mua i ʻoi aku ma mua o ka honua a hoʻoulu i nā wahine ʻē aʻe e hahai i kā lākou makemake i nā haʻuki!
E heluhelu hou: E hui me Padma Shri Geeta Zutshi, ka mea hoʻokūkū poʻokela ma mua o ka Track and Field Athlete
