FPJ Exclusive | From A Small-Town Dream To Asian Games Spotlight: Pooja Danole's Journey Fueled By Family Sacrifice And Cycling Ambition
Indian cyclist Pooja Danole is set to compete at the Asian Games, carrying with her a journey shaped by sporting roots, family sacrifices and an unwavering belief in herself. Hailing from Kolhapur, Danole grew up in a sporting family, with her father coming from a wrestling background and her brother also pursuing wrestling.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal
Excerpts...
1. Could you tell us about your childhood and what your early years were like?
I grew up in Kolhapur in a very sporting family. My father comes from a wrestling background and my brother is also a wrestler, so sport was always a part of my life. I started swimming when I was very young and later tried different sports, including wrestling and triathlon. My father never forced me to choose one particular sport. He always allowed me to try, explore and find what suited me.
Coming from Kolhapur never felt like a limitation to me. My family always encouraged me to participate and dream. Once I started getting results in cycling, the pathway naturally opened up, from district competitions to state-level medals and eventually selection to the sports hostel at Balewadi, Pune.
2. How did you first get introduced to cycling?
My first cycling competition happened because of my school sports teacher, who had also been my father’s student when he was young. He encouraged me to participate in a district-level cycling competition. I was very confident going into that first competition because my seniors, family and coaches already believed in me. I wasn’t thinking about who else was competing or whether I belonged there. My only aim was to win.
I won a medal at the district level and then continued winning medals at the state level. Eventually, I was selected for the sports hostel at Balewadi, Pune. That was when cycling started changing from something I was trying into something I could seriously build my life around.
3. Coming from a humble family, what kind of challenges did you face while beginning your sporting journey?
The biggest challenge was resources. Professional cycling requires a lot: bikes, equipment, travel, racing, nutrition and training. My family was not from a wealthy background, but they never made me feel that my dreams were too big. My father even took a loan to buy my first personal cycle. That sacrifice means a lot to me because he invested in my dream before anyone knew where cycling would take me.
4. Your parents have played a significant role in your career. How important has their support been in helping you continue and succeed in cycling?
My family has been the foundation of everything I have achieved. My father never forced me to choose one sport. I tried wrestling as well, but I struggled to gain the required weight and was quite aggressive as a child. He never pressured me to continue wrestling. He simply allowed me to find the sport that suited me. My mother gave me my fighting spirit. She always told me, “Be like a lion. Be fearless.” In our family, they call me their “little lion,” and I think I grew up taking that very seriously.
My family never taught me to be afraid of losing. They always showed me the positive side of situations and encouraged me to think about winning, improving and becoming a champion. My grandfather has also always been a very strong person standing behind me. So I feel my family gave me three things that shaped me as an athlete: the freedom to choose, the courage to fight and the belief that I could become a champion.
5. What do you remember about your first major competition, and when did you begin believing that you could compete at the national and international level?
I remember being very confident. I had seniors around me who believed in me, along with my family and coaches. I wasn’t focused on comparing myself with other riders. I simply wanted to win. The early medals at district and state level, followed by my selection to Balewadi, made me realise that cycling could become something much bigger for me. The winning mindset was there from the beginning.
6. What have been the biggest setbacks or difficult moments in your career, and how did you overcome them?
My biggest setback came when I was 14. I broke my jaw and couldn’t eat normally for almost three months. I was surviving on liquids, and at that age it was a very scary experience. Later, after entering the senior level, I also went through shoulder surgery. Both experiences were difficult, but they taught me a lot about life and cycling. I learned patience, discipline, recovery and how important it is to come back mentally as well as physically. Those setbacks didn’t stop me. They helped me become a stronger and better version of myself.
7. What does cycling mean to you personally?
Cycling gives me genuine joy. I enjoy being on the bike, the feeling of the wind passing across my face and body makes me happy. Of course, I am extremely competitive and I want to become a champion, but cycling is not only about medals and rankings for me. At the heart of it, I ride because I love it. That love for cycling is what keeps me going even through the difficult days.
8. When did you start dreaming about the Asian Games, and what was the journey like?
I think I started seriously dreaming about the Asian Games around November last year. One of the biggest reasons I started believing that I could actually make it was the constant encouragement of a journalist who has supported my journey very closely. He made me believe in this dream at a time when I wasn’t completely sure myself.
He kept reminding me that the Asian Games was something I could genuinely aim for and encouraged me to believe that I belonged at that level. His belief in me became one of the biggest reasons I allowed myself to dream about the Games.
After the Asian Championships, the dream almost seemed impossible because I heard that we were not qualified. But I continued believing. Then, in June, I got the news that I was in the Asian Games squad. It was an incredibly emotional and encouraging moment because the dream I had once been encouraged to believe in had actually become reality.
I have also had the support of my psychologist for the last four years. She has been a constant part of my journey, helping me through difficult phases, managing my thoughts and emotions and keeping me mentally stronger through the ups and downs.
So making the Asian Games squad feels like the result of many people believing in me at different stages, but especially those who helped me believe in myself.
9. How has your preparation changed as the Asian Games get closer?
My training has become much more specific as the Games have approached. In Patiala, I spent around a month primarily training on the road. As we got closer to the Games, we shifted more towards specific track preparation in Delhi.
My main training is generally around 9 AM, mostly on the road depending on the programme. In the evening, around 5 PM, we usually work on mobility, stretching and core. As the competition gets closer, every session has a specific purpose. The focus isn’t simply on training more, but on being ready to perform at the right time.
10. How do you prepare yourself mentally before an important race?
I prepare myself through a routine and focus on the things I can control. My psychologist, who has been with me for four years, helps me make my mental preparation more specific, understanding my role, managing my thoughts and keeping my attention on the process rather than things outside my control.
I also speak with my mother and brothers. Their encouragement always brings me back to myself and reminds me to give my best. I also have a very supportive journalist who has played a major role in making me believe in this Asian Games dream. His encouragement has helped me maintain belief during moments when the opportunity seemed uncertain. For me, the key is simple: prepare properly, control what I can, trust my work and give everything on race day.
11. How do you deal with pressure before a major competition?
I focus on my own role and my routine. I don’t want to spend energy thinking about things I cannot control. If I know that I have prepared properly and I am giving my best to my role, the pressure becomes much easier to handle.
My psychologist helps me manage the mental side of competition, while my family gives me the emotional strength to keep going. Whenever I need another perspective, I also speak with the people who have supported my journey. They help me come back to what actually matters. Most importantly, I remind myself that I am doing this because I genuinely love cycling. That makes the pressure feel much smaller.
12. What does a typical training day look like?
My training day is very structured. The main session is generally around 9 AM, with road training depending on the programme. During the earlier phase of preparation, the focus was largely on road training. As we got closer to the Games, we moved towards more track-specific work.
In the evening, around 5 PM, we usually have mobility, stretching and core work depending on the training plan. Recovery is equally important, nutrition, hydration, rest and preparing mentally for the next session are all part of being a professional athlete.
13. What are your long-term ambitions in cycling?
My long-term goal is to become a world-class cyclist and compete consistently at the highest level. I want to develop in both road and track cycling, compete internationally, earn opportunities at the world level and ultimately work towards my Olympic dream.
I also want to see Indian women’s cycling become much stronger internationally. I don’t want my journey to stop at being selected for major competitions. I want to keep improving until competing against the best in the world becomes normal for me.
14. What do you think Indian cycling needs to improve?
I think a lot of things in Indian cycling are already moving in the right direction. We have talented athletes, coaches and infrastructure. One important step would be having a professional Indian cycling team that can compete internationally on the road.
Regular international road racing would give Indian riders more exposure and help us develop race craft, tactics, confidence and experience against strong international fields. The foundation is already there. We now need more opportunities for Indian riders to race internationally on a regular basis.
15. What would an Asian Games medal mean to you and your family?
It would be a dream medal for me, and I believe it could bring something new to Indian cycling. We have seen athletes from Maharashtra create history in other sports, and that inspires me. I would love to become someone who can create that kind of moment for cycling.
For my family, it would be extremely emotional. My father and brother had their own sporting dreams, but responsibilities in life meant that they couldn’t take those journeys as far as they may have wanted. So in some way, I feel I am also carrying a part of their sporting dream with me.
It would also represent everyone who helped me reach this point, my family, coaches, teammates, psychologist and the people who believed in me when I was still learning to believe in myself. It wouldn’t just be my medal. It would be the result of an entire support system coming together behind one dream.
16. What message would you give young girls who want to pursue sport?
I would tell every girl to show up with all the passion she has and fight for what she wants until she achieves it. The journey will not always be easy. There will be setbacks, injuries, financial difficulties, failures and people who doubt you. But difficult does not mean impossible.
Keep showing up. Keep fighting. Keep believing in yourself. It may not be easy, but it is not impossible either. I want every girl to believe that she has the right to dream big and the strength to fight for that dream.
With the Asian Games now in sight, Pooja Danole will look to turn years of sacrifice, resilience and hard work into a memorable performance for India. As she chases her continental dream, the cyclist from Kolhapur will hope to inspire a new generation while taking another step towards her ultimate goal of competing at the Olympics.