Good Sports: GOLD MEDALIST REMEMBERS FATHER
Gomathi Marimuthu, a 30-year-old runner from Tamil Nadu, was a surprise gold medalist in the 800-meter race at the recent Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, recording a personal best time of 2 minutes, 2.7 seconds.
Returning to India, Marimuthu, who grew up in poverty in the village of Mudikandam, Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), paid tribute to her late father, remembering all the sacrifices he made for her.
“I miss my father,” she said. “Since I was into sports, and we didn’t have much food, he kept aside some for me and ate cattle feed for himself. I can never forget that one day.”
She won her race with an impressive kick in the last 150 meters, coming from third place to pass runners from China and Kazakhstan.
“Coach had already told me if you run confidently, you’ll win a medal,” she said. “I was confident. I had practiced very well.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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