CHENNAI: ‘I want to achieve more!’ This is what Gayathri Govindaraj promised when told of her status as one of the brightest talents emerging from the country. “I’m regular to practice, do everything asked of me and know my strengths and weaknesses,” she added, with a tinge of a plea in her tone.
The 24-year-old has gone through a lot to reach this level. Her parents could barely support her expenses as an athlete, and moving to some academy was also not an option. “Minor things like buying spikes and gear was difficult. My parents tried their best to help me, but there was only so much they could do. Joining an academy also involved spending money, so that wasn’t an option as well,” Gayathri says.
Hailing from a middle-class background, Gaythri’s father, K Govindaraj, is a businessman who has had a few ventures abroad as well, while her mother Dhavamani is a housewife.
This is why she is grateful to coach Dr P Nagarajan, who’s club St Joseph’s Prime Sports Academy has been the Ariyalur native’s home since 2001, for taking her in. “Prime Academy was the only one which was free of cost. After a point, I had no option but to come here and try my luck. And Nagarajan sir took me in immediately. I owe whatever I am today to him, and it was he who sponsored my early sojourns in competitions,” she noted.
Having suffered jumper’s knee — a pain caused by overuse of the knee joints — in 2011, she had to undergo surgery. As a result, she was forced to quit her other discipline, triple jump, while also losing a bulk of her sponsors. “Right now, only the state government sponsors me, and that is not enough. I was supported by Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) until my surgery, after which I was out of competition for almost two years. They weren’t willing to wait that long, and so they stopped supporting me.
“The main problem is that most sponsors ask us to buy whatever is required and then produce bills later on, to be reimbursed. But buying gear, in the first place, is difficult for people like us. If we can just get the funds to buy the required gear, that would be good. Above all, I would be glad if sponsors come out and support athletes like us more. That would be very helpful,” she opined.
Her surgery, which happened in Coimbatore, and the resulting physiotherapy in Chennai all happened under the watchful eyes of Dr David Rajan.
Gayathri won gold in 110m hurdles at the recent South Asian Games, and she says that was her aim going into the event. “I have won medals at the Asian level, so I knew the South Asian Games will not have that much competition. The aim was to win gold, which was also the first medal for us on the second day of competition.”
Hurdles not being one of India’s strong suits in international events, the Income Tax employee is aiming to break the national record. “Realistically, the Rio Olympics is not my aim. I know that is a step too far right now. What I know is that I want the national record. That is a target I’ve been working on, and one day, I will break that mark,” concluded the athlete who is currently training in the national camp at Trivandrum.
She will also be felicitated by her club for the SAG gold winning display soon.