CHENNAI: Leaping over hurdles comes naturally to Gayathri Govindaraj, be it on or off the track.
Or rather, her determination to excel in athletics has helped her confront the harsh realities of life with unflinching courage.
And she has raised her bar with every passing tournament.
Her recent haul-a gold medal apiece in 100m hurdles and triple jump-at the Thailand Asian Open Track further attested to her talent.
However, a few years ago, growing up in the bucolic confines of Ariyalur village near Tiruchi, her life was distinctly different. Her parents could hardly meet their ends, let alone encourage her to pursue athletics. So, Gayatri picked up the dynamics of athletics naturally.
“My parents recollect that I used to run around a lot during my childhood. In school, I used to participate in every athletic event in every tournament.
But during those days, I never thought or dreamt of choosing this as a profession,” she admitted.
Her potential came to light in the 18th South Zone junior inter-State athletic championship (2006) in Raichur where she claimed gold in U-16 100m hurdles. In 2006, she broke Poonam Belliappa’s 11-year-old record clocking 14.40 seconds in the under-18 category. In 2008, she made it in 14.04 seconds and again in Mysore she bettered her own record by .02 seconds. Her timing of 14.70 seconds in 100m hurdles and distance of 14.78 metres in triple jump in the U-16 segments still remain in tact.
The 17-year-old’s transition to the international junior circuit was seamless. In the 2008 Commonwealth Games, she bagged three medals that included a 4x100m relay gold and a silver apiece in 100m hurdles and triple jump. Though she still repents of missing gold in hurdles, her pet event, the success bolstered her confidence.
Like most athletes her age, she aspires to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. But before that, she wants to attain a berth to the Commonwealth and Asian Games, which she feels is quite realistic. “There are quite a few qualification tournaments this year and at the start of 2010 and my preparations are going full-swing.
I would try my best to make the cut,” said Gayatri, who is being coached by P Nagarajan at the St Joseph’s Prime Sports Academy.
She backs her words with intense workout and an austere diet. On an average, she spends seven hours on the ground to enhance her stamina and strength.
All the same, her vaulting ambition to excel in athletics hasn’t been at the expense of academic excellence. She secured 91 per cent in the plus two exams and is now a second year integrated computer-engineering student at the St Joseph’s College of Engineering.
“Though I don’t regularly attend classes due to practice and tournaments, I collect notes from my friends and clear my doubts with the teachers,” she signed off.