When 19-year-old Mubassima Mohammed soared to 6.07 meters in Ranchi to claim the silver medal in women’s long jump at the South Asian Senior Athletics Championships, she did far more than make a personal breakthrough she made history.
Her leap marked the first-ever senior international track and field medal for Lakshadweep, a territory better known for its turquoise waters than its sporting legacy. Behind that number lies a story of perseverance, sacrifice, and the systemic neglect of India’s smallest Union Territory. Mubassima’s rise from a 200-meter mud track in Minicoy to the continental stage is as much a human triumph as it is a policy wake-up call.
Mubassima’s silver, behind Sri Lanka’s Mudiyans Herath (6.23m), validated years of training under severe constraints. Her best recognized mark of 6.30m already places her within touching distance of the Asian elite standard of 6.41m, and an unratified 6.36m jump disqualified due to lack of wind gauge suggests that she is closing in rapidly. For a teenager from one of India’s remotest islands, this gap is less about talent and more about access.
Her journey began on Minicoy Island, where there are no stadiums, no synthetic tracks, and no full-length training facilities. Her first training ground was a 200-meter mud oval, shared by children and casual athletes. Yet, those conditions shaped her resilience. Every practice session depended on the weather; every stride was an act of defiance against the logistical impossibility of pursuing athletics in the middle of the Arabian Sea.
Born to Mohammed, a coconut climber and tea stall owner, and Dubina Bano, Mubassima’s earliest influences were rooted in necessity and belief. Her father’s participation in local mini-marathons for prize money demonstrated that running could be more than recreation it could change lives. That message became reality in 2015, when a ten-year-old Mubassima stunned adults to win a 6 km mini-marathon, claiming ₹1 lakh in prize money.
For her family, that wasn’t just an award it was an investment. It legitimized athletics as a possible profession and gave them the courage to back her fully. Soon after, the family took the drastic step of relocating from Minicoy to Kavaratti, the administrative capital of Lakshadweep, just so she could train more consistently. It was a move that meant abandoning economic stability, but it ensured that her training continued uninterrupted.
Training by Ferry: The Geography of Persistence
Even after relocation, the challenges were staggering. With no synthetic track, Mubassima trained on shared fields, often competing for space with footballers, Lakshadweep’s most popular sport. Rain meant cancellation. Ferry rides between islands for coaching sessions were long, unpredictable, and costly. Her coach, Ahmed Javad Hassan, became the anchor of her formative years. Without access to modern sports science or high-performance centers, Hassan’s presence filled the vacuum that poor infrastructure created. Every training cycle depended on weather, ferry schedules, and personal sacrifice a reality that would test even the most dedicated athletes.
By any measure, the odds were against her. Experts estimate that her training time was effectively 30–50% of what a mainland athlete enjoys at a Sports Authority of India (SAI) or Khelo India center. Yet, through sheer consistency and natural ability, she reached national prominence. That’s not a success story; that’s statistical anomaly.
Mubassima’s early versatility proved essential. Without access to event-specific tools, she built her base across multiple disciplines middle-distance runs, sprints, and even javelin. This cross-training developed the perfect blend of speed, endurance, and explosive power. Her breakthrough came at the 2022 Youth Asia Championships in Uzbekistan, where she won silver in the Heptathlon and bronze in Long Jump. Those medals marked her arrival on the international scene, but also signaled her future direction. She shifted focus entirely to long jump, refining her speed and technique.
The results came quickly:
- Gold in National U-20 Championships: 6.30m jump (gold)
- Gold in National U-23 Championships: 6.36m jump (unrecognized due to wind measurement lapse)
- Gold in Indian Grand Prix 2: 6.17m jump
- Silver in South Asian Senior Championships: 6.07m jump, the medal that changed Lakshadweep’s history
Each performance marked progress in the face of structural neglect. That her best effort was invalidated not by athletic error but technical oversight shows how fragile the pathway remains for emerging talents from peripheral regions.
The Elite Leap: Training Under Robert Bobby George
Recognizing the limits of her local setup, Mubassima has since transitioned to Bengaluru, training under Robert Bobby George, one of India’s premier horizontal jump coaches and husband of national record-holder Anju Bobby George. This move symbolizes a shift from survival to excellence from improvisation to precision. The 6.30–6.40m range where she currently sits is the narrow zone where athletic progression depends not on strength or willpower, but on technical mastery: refining take-off angles, optimizing flight posture, and synchronizing rhythm with run-up. These are refinements only available through world-class coaching and consistent exposure to synthetic surfaces both of which she now has.
With a focused training environment and targeted sports science support, experts believe she can surpass the 6.50m mark within two seasons, positioning her for Asian and Commonwealth contention. Mubassima’s success exposes the implementation gap in sports policy for Union Territories. Lakshadweep’s government has long cited goals like “developing international-level athletes” and “building sports infrastructure,” yet the reality is that she achieved success despite those promises.
There is still no 400m synthetic track in the entire territory. Training continues on temporary grounds vulnerable to weather, with no dedicated facility for athletics. Central schemes like Khelo India and NSDF provide funds, but require proactive proposals from local administrations proposals that Lakshadweep has not prioritized. Her achievement provides the perfect impetus for reform. Establishing a synthetic track in Kavaratti must become a policy priority. This can form the nucleus of a Regional Talent Development Centre specializing in explosive events sprints, jumps, and throws suited to the island’s athletic profile.
At an individual level, Mubassima should be considered for SAI Elite Scholarship and Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) inclusion. These programs could ensure uninterrupted access to training, international competition, and sports science support.
Mubassima’s trajectory outlines a clear three-tiered model for nurturing talent in underdeveloped regions:
- Grassroots Spark: Family-driven motivation and early economic validation (like the ₹1 lakh marathon prize).
- Regional Growth: Relocation to access limited local coaching (the Kavaratti phase).
- National Integration: Transition to elite mentorship under top national coaches (Bengaluru).
This model is replicable across India’s overlooked territories from Andaman to Arunachal where raw talent often withers in isolation. Her rise proves that brilliance can emerge from mud tracks if supported at the right moments.
Mubassima Mohammed’s silver medal is not just Lakshadweep’s first it is India’s reminder that geography cannot dictate potential. Her success rewrites the map of Indian athletics, showing that excellence can emerge even from the smallest island if met with opportunity. Her story, however, also lays bare a policy truth: talent without infrastructure can only go so far. Unless Lakshadweep’s administration and India’s sporting authorities act decisively, her achievement risks remaining an exception, not a foundation.
For now, Mubassima stands as the face of what could be a young woman who turned the monsoon-soaked mud of Minicoy into a launchpad for flight. Her next jump may take her past 6.41m, but symbolically, she’s already cleared the distance between neglect and national pride.
