Extra toes make footwear a concern for heptathlete

No feet of clay: Indian heptathlete Swapna Barman, born with six toes on each foot, prepares to wear her track shoes before a practice session. — Reuters

WHEN you are born with six toes on each foot like Indian heptathlete Swapna Barman, you cannot help being fussy about your footwear.

Fifth on her Asian Games debut as a teenager in Incheon four years ago, the 21-year-old has been fretting about her shoes ahead of next week’s athletics competition in Jakarta. “Ahead of the Games, my main worry is I’m not getting the right shoes for high jump,” she said from her training centre in the north Indian city of Patiala.