KANNIYAKUMARI: Standing atop the podium, ready to receive three gold medals at the World Police and Fire Games in the Netherlands, MS Krishna Rekha recalls a life of struggle and hard work. From hours-long morning practice sessions for 20 years to the support extended by her family, the 38-year-old woman head constable savours a trip down memory lane.
Fondly called ‘Akka’ by youngsters in Kanniyakumari, she inspired many aspiring athletes — especially young women — to follow their passion. Serving in the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the District Police, her athletic career was never a cakewalk.
Krishna Rekha, now a mother of two, was born to an economically backward family at Ganapathipuram. As her parents struggled to make ends meet, she grew up unable to nurture big dreams. But everything changed in Class 6 when her PE teacher Leelavathi realised the girl’s athletic potential. The teacher slowly ignited a flame in her mind. Under her guidance, Krishna Rekha took part in inter-school competitions for her favourite sports — high jump and 100-metre hurdles — and bagged several prizes.
When she joined Women Christian College in Nagercoil, Krishna Rekha continued the legacy and stood out at university-level and State-level competitions. Soon after her notable triumphs, during her third year at college in 2006, she was selected as a grade II constable. After joining the force, she continued training and represented the police in tournaments.
Even as her life brought her a husband T Senthil, a carpenter from Seramangalam, and two children named Kavin and Kajin, nothing could stop her from reaching the track. With the support from her family, she continued to train for bigger dreams. Now, her rigorous morning workouts at Lekshmipuram College ground close to her house and evening sessions at Nagercoil’s Arignar Anna stadium are a familiar scene for the villagers.
“Krishna Rekha is a hard-working athlete. She is always energetic and does rigorous training, same as her counterparts, who all are aged between 19 to 20 years. She will never say no to any workout and is very dedicated to sports,” says her coach S Suresh Babu.
In 2019, she participated in the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) held in China and secured two gold medals in the high jump, and heptathlon. She also bagged two silver medals in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. In the 2022 edition, she bagged three gold medals in the high jump, 100-metre hurdles and triple jump. This is the highest number of gold medals a police personnel from TN managed to secure at the WPFG this year.
On her return from the Netherlands, officers, led by SP Hari Kiran Prasad, gave her a rousing welcome at the Nagercoil railway station. “The SP receiving me at the station was a memorable moment. He and the department helped me achieve my dreams,” she says.
V Vimal (26) and marathon runner NV Bavith (20) mention she was proof that age is just a number. “We try to practice with her as she motivates us,” they add. A high jump State-level athlete M Muthu Lakshmi explains the constable shows marriage is not an impediment for women in sports.