From Chennai to Las Vegas: Krishna Jayasankar’s Historic NCAA Journey

Krishna Jayasankar is rewriting the history books for Indian athletics. As the first-ever Indian woman to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships, Krishna has bridged the gap between the school grounds of Chennai and the elite stadiums of the USA. 

• Set the Indian National Indoor Record in Shot Put with a throw of 17.09m in March 2026. 
•  Daughter of Jayasankar Menon and Prasanna Jayasankar, both former captains of the Indian National Basketball teams. 
• Currently completing her Masters at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) after starting her US career at UTEP.
•  Representing India at the upcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, with a long-term focus on LA 2028. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:06

So thank you for coming to our university and joining us, ma'am, and spending time here too. So let's start.

SPEAKER_04 0:12

Wanakam Hits Podcast fam. This is Krishna Jay Shankar. I am an international um discuss thrower, discuss and a shortput um thrower from India. Presently I'm studying in the NCAA um system. I am studying at University of Nevada Las Vegas. I'm the first ever Indian female discus thrower to receive an NCAA scholarship from India. I am also the present um Tamil Nadu State Record holder in Discus in the senior women's category. It's my pleasure to be here with you all today.

SPEAKER_03 0:44

So myself Muhilan Mah. I'm studying second year in B Tech Biotechnology in the Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science. And my question is what mental strategies and techniques do you see and use to stay focused and motivated during intense training and competition?

SPEAKER_04 1:01

That's a great question. And I think the the answer that I'm gonna give you guys, I think my biggest credit, biggest chunk of credit, goes to my psychologist, Dr. Raven and Mr. Shah. So some of the mental strategies that I use while um on and off the field when I'm in competition or not in competition is something called as visualization and meditation. So as a thrower and whose event is very technical, it is very important that every single time I throw, or let's say I'm having a practice session, I try to cultivate a competition, competitive environment so that I know what pressure I will be when I'm in um competition. I use visualization nothing but closing my eyes and just telling myself what I need to focus on, giving the cues to myself because when I'm in competition, my brain is not gonna think about 10,000 things. It's gonna think about just one or two things, and I like to remind myself, even at practice, just to you know cultivate the behavior of how it's gonna be in competition. I like to do visualization. And another important thing that has helped me to calm my nose during competition and help me focus is meditation. Meditation such as breathing. I like to make sure that I'm taking a deep breath when I feel really pressured. I like to let go and you know try to close my eyes, debre, and just you know, tell myself that you know I'm the champion. I like to give positive affirmation to myself, speak positive, saying that you know you're the champ, you got this, and f and um also what I like to do is I tend to zone out, which is basically like I don't focus on what's happening around me. I just focus on myself. That has to do with nothing but how strong-centered you are, and that can be only done with um breathing exercises. So, yeah, these are the few mental strategies that I think about when I'm gonna be competing or even when I have to be uh focused in a practice session.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

Yeah, thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much. That was a wonderful answer. How do you balance the pressure of competition at an international level with maintaining your mental well-being?

SPEAKER_04 2:51

That has to do with nothing but mental toughness, right? When you go to an international competition, you already have the pressure of representing your country. You already feel like, oh my god, one time 1.3 billion people are on your back. And one of the things that I like to do is let it loose. I'd like to tell myself, you know what? I'm just doing this for me. That's what I said. It's very important for you to keep reminding at your peak sessions, like peak pressure times, it's reminding for you that, hey, why did I start? What why why did I start doing this? Did I do it for did I do it for the entire 1.3 billion people, or is it just for me? And that's what really helps me, and that's what keeps you pressure. Small, small things, it's not a big paragraph, big essay that helps you. It's just small, small things, and it comes within you. And also another thing that I like to tell myself is my family. You know, the sacrifices that I've made is very important and it reminds me, it's a constant reminder that how I can, I should like, I should perform in international competitions because there's nobody out there who's putting as as much of hard work as me. And I know I'm confident, I have to be very confident when I go to the competition and and perform. And I think like like you said, everybody has constant pressure in the in in the day-to-day life. It's how you navigate the pressure and how you delegate your um pressure is what is how it's gonna help you. I delegate in many ways. I like to talk, I like to seek help when I'm pressured. I like to talk to my family, I like to you know let them, and you know, maybe because of the experiences, they've lived longer than me. So getting experiences, talking to people who are who you think you can draw inspiration from can be very helpful in those types of situations. So that's what I do.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Hi ma'am, I'm Talita Maria Dev. Currently pursuing my BTEC Chemical Engineering at Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, and I'm also a part of the basketball team over here. So my question to you is can you describe a time when you face self-doubt and how you managed to push through it?

SPEAKER_04 4:34

Great question. I'm very happy you're a basketball player. I I don't know if you know, but my mom and dad are basketball players, and I grew up watching basketball. Basketball is something that I, you know, have watched since my childhood. So it's very nice to know that you're a basketball. And also you're a chemical engineer. Way to go, girl, way to go. So, a moment when I doubted myself. Great. So in the year of 2020, you know, it was COVID pandemic, and as you would have should have been in the seminar, I told you that in 2019 I was in the highest point of my life, right? 2020 happened, COVID pandemic happened. And that's the time it was one of my low points. I'm sure it's a lot of uh a lot of people have faced the same thing, you know, it's one of the lowest points that people don't want to rethink about. Many people lost their loved ones, and you know, etc. etc. For me, I fell into depression. I felt like I for I felt like a failure because all my friends, I started comparing myself. I all my friends were going to college and I was only here just practicing, not being able to practice at the same point. Like they were going, they were doing online classes, and me, I was just in home trying to just throw. So that's when I felt like maybe I had just two options. I just had one option. I just had two options, which is nothing but one is to give up what you really loved, or just to keep doing what you love and keep finding ways for you to get to where you want to be. And that's what I did. Um one of the ways that really helped me is 2021 when I got the opportunity to go to Jamaica, right? I was 18 years old. Never I would want to say never left out of the country, you know. And when I got the opportunity, I self-doubt of myself because it's a very big, it's a very big responsibility. Not having sponsors. Luckily, I had a shoguncle who backed me up and so did my family. But you had the pressure, like, oh my god, when I go to Jamaica, when I come back, I need to have something because of the investment that people make, and that's an immediate, you know, immense pressure that you have. And that's when I my sister and I were very close, and she's also a graduate from uh Hindustan University, she's an engineer as well. I had a really great support system, right? My sister was the only person, Ottakalanna. I she had a conversation, I had a conversation with her, and I said, I really want to go, I think I can achieve. My parents were very scared, they didn't want to let me go, you know. They doubted me, like, oh my god, if something happens to me, how will how will they get to know? And it's very, and Jamaica is literally 15,000 miles away. And that's when my sister told, No, I believe in my sister, and she got this. And that's when all my doubt that I had myself is like went in vain. Because if one person who's not me, who only believes me just because of my words, that I can do it, then why not Anne? If she's something in me, why why is it that I cannot believe in my abilities? Because it's me who has to perform. And then that's it. I pushed myself, I had a great support system that I can talk to, and so did my coach in Jamaica, Horace Michael Wessel is his name. He treated me like his family and enjoyed my time in Jamaica, and I got I bugged the N cerebral scholarship. So self-doubt is something that naturally is, you know, your brain does it because you know, very scared. But that doesn't mean that you don't change your self-doubt into self-confidence. It takes just very few things, like you know, self-talking to yourself positively, and at the same time, having a great support system. A great support system can take you anywhere. And you know, it it it very f I'm lucky enough to say that I have really great support system, and including the Hindustan University, so I'm very grateful. Yep, that's what helped me.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

Hello, ma'am. My name is Sauro. I'm uh currently in third year pursuing my degree in uh computer science engineering. So I would like to put up a question that how do you stay motivated in the face of long-term training and the constant pursuit pursuit of improvement?

SPEAKER_04 7:59

Great question. Sort of um for me, it's basically as I told you, I have an Olympic necklace, so every day I get up in the morning, I see my aim, I see my goal. Another thing that keeps pushing me is that I'm in the United States all by myself. I have nobody that I can ask help for. I'm self-independent. And I think those are the sacrifices. I think sacrifice is something that keeps you motivating. Like I hardly have any friends, to be honest with you, because I've hardly been to the school. Like most of my schooling has been like I just go for exams or I just go to classes one, maybe once or two is twice in a month because I have competitions that I want to achieve. Like I have um have to go to. So the sacrifices that I make, not being able to attend a family function, not being able to attend my mom's and dad's birthday, or my sister's engagement. I miss my sister's engagement because I couldn't go because I was had a competition. So these are the small sacrifices that keep constantly I keep reminding that have made this sacrifice. And I'm sure there must be some sacrifices that you made that that doesn't want you to stop doing what you do. So sacrifice is something that really pushed me out of my comfort zone and also like uncomfortable different decisions that I had to make. Like leave my country, leave my family, go elsewhere, stay elsewhere, stay in a completely no man's land. So these are the few sacrifices and few decisions that I made that is helping me stay long term in this particular sport. And also at the same time, you know you, you know you're talented enough, you know your ability, you have to be confident within you, and that's what is pushing me right now. I'm having a setback, but that doesn't mean that I take this setback and say, oh my god, I'm done with my life. No, I take this setback, I view the setback as an opportunity to grow. Because I know that many people don't get the opportunity, and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity. So these are small things that I remind myself that keeps me motivated in the long-term procedure.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

I'm Raihan, and I'm doing BSC Computer Science in Hindusan University. And I'm a boxer in this university, so I'm the university team. So, what I want to ask is what are your future goals and what do you plan to do after this?

SPEAKER_04 9:53

Well, it's great to know that you're a boxer. Please tell me teach me some self-defense moves. I really want to learn like what's happening in our country for women. I really need to do those defense moves. Great question. So for me is the future goal is definitely LA 2028. I couldn't go to the 2024 Olympics, Paris Olympics, because I had a setback. I had a shoulder injury and then burns back with a fractured hand. So I couldn't go to the 2024 Olympics. So the long-term uh the long-term goal that I have for myself is the 2028 LA Olympics. But also for me is very important is next year. I have I really would like to go accompany the NCAA Championship. You know, I will make history if I go to the NCAA championship. So that's when for my colleague um collegiate circular and for the national responsibility, definitely 2026 um Asian Games and Commonwealth. So these are the few short-term goals that I have that I can achieve for the long term.

SPEAKER_03 10:42

So once again, thank you so much, ma'am. Wonderful answers for those questions. Thank you so much for spending the time with us, man.

SPEAKER_04 10:49

Thank you so much for having me, Hits Podcast, ma'am. Wishing you nothing but success. And uh, hopefully, my story inspires you all to take that uncomfortable step so that you all remember and keep reminding yourself that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So keep storing high, keep shining. Thank you for having me.