Of liberation and dreams coming true: Stories of India’s Olympic-bound relay teams athletics news

Emancipation, fulfillment of a father’s dream, a big step in a nascent career and justification of choices made early in life – Olympic qualification means different things to different members of the 4x400m Indian men’s and women’s relay teams Who confirmed his place in Paris on Monday. , Let’s take a look at the eight runners – four men and four women – who finished second in their respective qualifying heats at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas to make their way to the Olympics.

Women’s team:

MR Poovamma: For Olympian Poovamma, it is a salvation of sorts after facing the infamy of a two-year ban for doping offenses in 2021 before getting a favorable verdict following the intervention of the Kerala High Court.

The 33-year-old, a multiple medalist in the individual 400m and 4x400m relay races at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games, returned to action during the Goa National Games last year after a two-year ban.

“Finally, I can return to action now,” she had then told PTI. The ordeal is over, although it has troubled me mentally.

The Arjuna awardee is one of the country’s most decorated athletes, having won gold in the women’s 4x400m relay and silver in the 400m individual at the 2013 Asian Championships.

She won a gold and a bronze medal in the women’s 4×400 meters relay and 400 meters individual event. The Karnataka-born, married to another international athlete from Kerala, also won gold medals in the women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay races at the 2018 Asian Games.

Rupal Chaudhary: She created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals – silver in the women’s 4x400m relay and bronze in the individual 400m – at the 2022 World U20 Athletics Championships in Colombia.

This 19 year old girl is from a family of modest means. His father is a small farmer in Shahpur Jainpur village in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh.

Since the stadium nearest to his base – Meerut – does not have suitable synthetic tracks for training, he had to make a two-hour journey to Delhi two days a week for training.

She became the second Indian to win a medal in the women’s 400m after Hima Das’ historic gold at the 2018 edition of the championships in Finland.

Jyotika Dandi Sri: Hyderabad-based Jyotika, who raced in the second leg on Monday, took up the Games to fulfill the dreams of her father, who wanted his daughter to participate in the Olympics.

The 23-year-old player is very close to it, although the final selection of the relay team is in the hands of the Indian Athletics Federation.

She was part of the Indian women’s 4x400m team that won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships last year. He had won gold medal in 400 meters at the National Open Championship last year and silver medal at the Goa National Games.

Subha Venkatesan: Subha Venkatesan, 24, from Trichy, Tamil Nadu, is the daughter of a construction worker and a housewife and took up sports at the insistence of her maternal grandfather, who worked in the police department.

Initially trained at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) center in Chennai, Subha won medals at national competitions before she became part of the women’s 4x400m relay team that won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships.

men’s team

muhammad anas: 29-year-old Anas is the country’s most famous male quarter-miler and national record holder. Already a two-time Olympian, Anas has won medals at the Asian Games, Asian Championships and in 2016 he became only the third Indian quarter-miler (individual 400 m) to participate in the Olympics after KM Binu and Milkha Singh. He was part of the Indian men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relays at the Tokyo Olympics.

He was also part of the men’s 4x400m team that broke the Asian record at the World Championships last year and won gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Anas hails from Nilamel village in Kerala and his father Yahiya was a state level athlete. Anas has often said that he became interested in running after watching Jamaican legend Usain Bolt run on the track at the 2008 Olympics.

He was the long jump champion in his school, but switched to track on the advice of coaches.

At the 2016 Senior Nationals, Anas won a silver medal in the 400 m in his first attempt and broke the 46-second barrier for the first time at the Indian Grand Prix and Federation Cup that year.

Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi: Born in Palakkad, Kerala, Muhammad Ajmal was a football player like many youngsters from his state. He participated in the under-19 state level football tournament until his coach recommended a change in running. He was first a 100 meters runner and then started competing in the 400 meters.

love jacob: Born in Kerala but brought up in New Delhi, Jacob’s sporting journey began while studying at St. Xavier’s School in Rohini, when his coach suggested he try becoming a runner. The 25-year-old player was initially interested in football. His mother is a nurse in a hospital in Delhi.

He was part of the gold-winning 4×400 meters relay team at the 2017 Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar, apart from winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in the same event.

Arokia Rajiv: Hailing from a village near Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, Arokia has athletics running in his blood as his father Y Soundararajan was a state-level sprinter and long jumper. Arokia’s father Sundararajan was a bus driver while his mother was a daily wage labourer.

The 32-year-old Armyman was part of the gold-winning 4x400m mixed relay team and had also won a silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta. He was part of the Tokyo Olympics 4x400m relay team that broke the then Asian record.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)