Eshan Chandras Puthran: The Teen Who Turned a Jump Rope into India’s Medal Machine
“It’s not the tool, but the spirit behind it that defines greatness.”
What started as playground fun has become a fiercely competitive sport and one 15-year-old from Kerala is leading that transformation. Meet Eshan Chandras Puthran, the boy who is rewriting what we think is possible with a jump rope.
Most people see skipping as a warm-up, a schoolyard activity, or something kids do to pass time. But for Eshan, it’s always been more. What began as childhood curiosity quickly transformed into relentless ambition. He discovered jump rope videos online, tried copying a few tricks, and fell in love with the rhythm, the speed, and the freedom it offered. What looked simple at first turned out to be a world of technique, stamina, and creativity.
By the age of 15, Eshan has racked up more than 50 medals, competed at the 2023 World Championships in the USA, won silver at the 2024 Asian Championships in Japan, and is now back in Japan in 2025, representing India once again on the world stage. His routines are fast, precise, and full of complex footwork, the kind that makes judges sit up and spectators go silent.
But medals are only one part of the story. Eshan’s daily routine involves school in the morning, 4–5 hours of intense training, academics squeezed in between, and often late-night practice to perfect his routines. There are no shortcuts, no glamour, just sheer persistence. He often trains alone, recording videos, analysing them frame by frame, and then doing it all over again.
His parents, coaches, and local community have all played a role in supporting his journey, but at its heart is a self-driven athlete with an Olympic-sized vision: to see jump rope recognised at the Olympic level and win India a medal when it does.
What makes Eshan’s story even more remarkable is that he is doing it in a country where jump rope is still far from mainstream. There’s little infrastructure, barely any visibility, and even fewer role models in the sport. Funding is scarce, competitions are self-funded, and media coverage is rare. And yet, he persists, not just taking part but dominating.
He is a reminder that success does not always come from the obvious places and that a simple rope, in the hands of someone determined, can be a ticket to the world stage.
To every young dreamer reading this: “You don’t need expensive equipment or established paths. What you do need is fire, focus, and the courage to go all in. Eshan’s rope might be light but the weight it carries for Indian sport is immense.”
