KOCHI: Two gold medals in top-class international competitions in little more than a month. That is exactly what quarter miler Sini Jose has achieved.
Having tasted success at the Commonwealth Games, as a part of the women’s 4x400 m relay team, in front of cheering home fans in Delhi last month, the 23-year-old stood atop the podium again on Friday at the Aoti Main Stadium in Guangzhou, China, in the XVI Asian Games.
Yet to come out of the shadows of her more successful teammates Manjeet Kaur, Ashwini A C and Mandeep Kaur, the shy girl proved that she has the poise and the temperament to carry out the task assigned to her.
In both of India’s famous wins in the event, Sini ran a controlled second lap each time to give her teammates further up the relay the perfect launch pad to go for glory.
Meanwhile, the village of Avoli in Muvattupuzha was bursting with music, crackers and cheer in celebration after the race on Friday evening.
Delighted with their daughter’s performance, parents Jose Joseph and Rithamma - who watched the event live on television along with Sini’s school-time coach Raju Paul and joyous relatives and friends at their home - said Sini had called them up before the race asking for their prayers.
“It is God’s grace that she is winning,” her mother Rithamma said.
“She had called before the race and requested us to pray for her. She was confident of winning the gold medal,” she said.
Raju Paul, who had coached Sini while at St George’s Higher Secondary School in Kothamangalam, felt she was on her way to realising her potential in the individual event as well.
“She is developing into an athlete at the international level,” he told Express. “She has the physical attributes to perform well in the individual 400 m also,” Raju said.
Being a part of the Indian team for the past few years as a relay specialist, Sini, employed with the Railways, had recently achieved her best-ever timing of 53.01 seconds while winning gold in the Federation Cup in May this year.