Gomathi Brings Home A Pleasant Surprise

Javelin thrower Shivpal and hurdler Jabir qualify for World Championships

- Stan Rayan

She may have been a latestarter in athletics, taking the track seriously only at 20, but Gomathi Marimuthu gave the country one of its best moments at the 23rd Asian championships which concluded in Doha on Wednesday.

For Gomathi, life virtually began at 30, an age when women athletes in the country seriously think of hanging up their boots.

Strong field

Running against some of the best in the business, including China’s Asian Games champion Wang Chunyu and Kazakhstan’s former twotime Asiad winner Margarita Mukasheva, Gomathi came out with a smart strategy to grab the 800m gold.

Wang had run in a number of American meets prior to Doha but when Gomathi produced a strong kick, she could do nothing.

“Gomathi ran an excellent race,” Bahadur Singh, the Chief National Coach, told

The Hindu on Thursday evening.

Gomathi’s gold was certainly the biggest surprise for India, which finished fourth with 17 medals — three gold and seven silvers — behind Bahrain (11 gold), China (9) and Japan (6).