THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Olympian Mercy Kuttan has been selected as the president of the Kerala State Sports Council here on Tuesday. The council vice president and standing committee members were selected earlier. Recipient of Arjuna award and GV Raja Award, she was among the elite women athletes of the country in the ’80s.
The first Indian woman athlete to leap over 6 meters in the long jump competition, she was a member of the 1989 Asian Track and Field meets relays gold winning team. Active in sports administration and sports training, she retired as the sports officer of the Tata’s team and set up a sports academy in Ernakulam.
She was also the vice-president of the sports council in 2016.