Madurai girl Revathi’s unique distinction in junior meet

In fact 19-year-old V. Revathi (19), of Madurai, was the only athlete to have won three gold medals in the event. She won the gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4X100 meters relay in the Under 20 girls’ category.

Her parents died of illness 10 years ago, leaving behind her and her younger sister. They were raised by their maternal grandmother K. Arammal. The widow worked as a daily wage labourer and raised the two girls. The school where she studied till 6th standard did not encourage sports and games. “After changing the school I first started playing football. But my physical education teacher Regina saw that I cannot stand in a place and encouraged me to try running. I won a few medals in the district and divisional meets and unsuccessfully participated in a few State meets,” she said and added that she did not aspire to become a great athlete till she reached 12th standard. 

Proud to have coached her, Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu (SDAT) Madurai district coach K. Kannan said that he spotted her two years ago as a 12th standard girl who did not have shoes to run. She is short and her feet are small. “But the frequency of her steps is more than her competitors and this gives her the edge over her taller competitors,” he added. The coach helped her get a free seat in Lady Doak College, Madurai, where she is doing second year B.A. Tamil Literature. Knowing that the Coimbatore event is going to be her first national championship her friends told her that the chance of winning a medal would be tough task, due to heavy competition. “Probably they were afraid that I would be discouraged and demotivated if I did not win. They asked me to give my best shot. I did and won the prizes. They were happier than me when they came to know that I did not win one but three gold medals in my maiden national appearance,” Revathi said. “With little more correction in her style she will scale to great heights and will be fully prepared to represent India successfully in the international arena,” Mr. Kannan added.