TIRUCHY: The daughter of an agricultural labourer from Thanjavur, who had won gold in the state-level junior athletic meet in the 100-metre race and won at the national event in Jammu and Kashmir, was in for a surprise when the Thanjavur Collector arranged a meeting with her to appreciate on the achievement.

The girl, J Swetha (18), hailing from Navalur village near Vendayampatti in Thanjai had achieved despite coming from a humble background and is set to take part in the international competition to be held in Nepal.

Hearing of the rare achievement of the girl pursuing her college education in Tiruchy, the Collector called her in and congratulated her during the farmers’ grievance redressal meeting.

Thanjavur district collector Deepak Jacob wished the girl success at the international event. Farmers who were assembled at the grievance meeting also appreciated Swetha for the achievement. “I joined the training classes right from my class 6 itself and the collector’s gesture has infused energy to achieve more,” Swetha said.