In the recently concluded 23rd edition of the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Indians put up a remarkable show with three gold, seven silver & seven bronze medals summing up to a total tally of 17 medals.
Gomathi Marimuthu opened the account for India by securing the first gold medal in the Women’s 800 meters race with a personal best of 2 minutes and 2.70 seconds. For the 30 year old, this was her first ever International win. She ran all the way from the back to astonish the crowd by winning the 800 m race.
Farmer’s daughter from a remote village with no food, no electricity, and no transportation to winning Gold at the Asian Championships, Gomathi’s tale is the one of tremendous hard work and sacrifice. After facing numerous hardships, it was only an athlete’s strong determination and will power that helped Gomathi to succeed.
Gomathi was introduced to the track by one of her friends at a young age. Since then she developed interest and started training under her father’s guidance. From waking her up to taking care of her nutrition her father left no stone unturned to support his daughter’s athletic dream.
Finally her efforts bore fruit and Gomathi was selected for the Asian Championships in Pune in 2013. However she did not secure any medal but kept trying hard. Further in 2016, she faced lot of hardships. She lost her father, her coach and constant source of inspiration. She suffered from a groin injury which restricted her from participating in any events for the next few years.
Trying to make both ends meet she made an exemplary comeback in 2019 and the rest is history.
