Redemption, fulfillment of a father's dream, a big step in a burgeoning career and vindication of choices made early in life – Olympic qualification meant different things for the various members of the 4x400m Indian men's and women's relay teams who lost their berths on Monday had booked in Paris. Let's take a look at the eight runners – four men and four women – who finished second in their respective qualifying heats at the World Athletics Relay in Nassau, Bahamas to earn the Olympic prize.
THE WOMEN'S TEAM:
Mr. Poovamma: For Olympian Poovamma, it's a redemption of sorts after she faced the ignominy of a two-year ban for a doping violation in 2021 before getting a favorable decision following the intervention of the Kerala High Court.
The 33-year-old, a multiple medalist in the 400m and 4x400m individual relay at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games, returned to action at the Goa National Games last year after serving a two-year ban.
“Finally, I can now take action again. The ordeal is over even though it has affected me mentally,” she had told PTI at the time.
The Arjuna Awardee is one of the country's most decorated athletes, having won gold in the 4×400 meters relay and individual silver in the 400 meters at the 2013 Asian Championships.
She went on to win gold and bronze in the women's 4×400 meter relay and the 400 meter individual. The Karanataka native, who married another international athlete from Kerala, also won gold in the women's 4x400m and mixed 4x400m relay races at the 2018 Asian Games.
Rupal Chaudhary: She created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals – silver in the women's 4×400 meters relay and bronze in the individual 400 meters – at the 2022 World U20 Athletics Championships in Colombia.
The 19-year-old comes from a family of modest means. Her father is a small farmer in Shahpur Jainpur village in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh.
Since the nearest stadium to her base – Meerut – does not have suitable synthetic courts for training, she would have to endure a two-hour journey to Delhi for training two days a week.
She became the second Indian to win a medal in the women's 400 meters after Hima Das' historic gold at the 2018 edition of the championships in Finland.
Jyothika Dandi Sri: Hyderabad-based Jyothika, who ran the second leg on Monday, took up sports to fulfill the dreams of her father, who wanted his daughter to compete in the Olympics.
The 23-year-old is pretty close, although the final selection of the relay team lies in the hands of the Athletics Federation of India.
She was part of the Indian women's 4x400m team that won bronze at the Asian Championships last year. Last year, she won gold in the 400 meters at the National Open Championships and silver at the Goa National Games.
Subha Venkatesan: The 24-year-old from Trichy in Tamil Nadu is the daughter of a construction worker and a housewife and took up sports at the insistence of her maternal grandfather, who works in the police.
Subha was initially trained at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu's (SDAT) Center of Chennai and went on to win medals at national competitions before becoming part of the women's 4x400m relay team that won silver at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships.
THE MEN'S TEAM
Mohammed Anas: 29-year-old Anas is the most famous men's quarter mileer in the country and the national record holder. Anas is already a two-time Olympian and has won medals at the Asian Games and Asian Championships. In 2016, he became only the third Indian quarter-mileer (individual 400 metres) to compete in the Olympics, after KM Binu and Milkha Singh. He was part of the Indian men's 4x400m relays and the mixed 4x400m relays at the Tokyo Olympics.
He was also part of the men's 4x400m team that broke the Asian record at the World Championships last year and won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Anas hails from Nilamel village in Kerala and his father Yahiya was a state-level athlete. Anas has often stated that he became interested in running after watching Jamaican legend Usain Bolt run around the track during the 2008 Olympics.
He was the long jump champion at his school, but switched to athletics on the advice of coaches.
In the 2016 seniors, Anas took silver in the 400 meters in his first attempt and broke the 46-second barrier for the first time that year at the Indian Grand Prix and Federation Cups.
Mohammed Ajmal Variyathodi: Born in Palakkad, Kerala, Muhammed Ajmal was a footballer, like many youngsters in his state. He competed in the state-level U-19 soccer tournaments until his coach recommended a switch to track. He was first a sprinter in the 100 meters and then began competing in the 400 meters.
Amoj Jacob: Born in Kerala but raised in New Delhi, Jacob's sporting journey began during his time at St. Xavier's School in Rohini, when his coach suggested he become a sprinter. The 25-year-old was initially interested in football. His mother is a nurse at a hospital in Delhi.
He was part of the gold-winning 4x400m relay team at the 2017 Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar, besides winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in the same event.
Arokia Rajiv: Hailing from a village near Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, athletics is in Arokia's blood as his father Y Soundararajan was a state-level sprinter and long jumper. Arokia's father Soundararajan was a bus driver, while his mother had a daily wager.
The 32-year-old army man was part of the gold-winning mixed 4×400 meters relay team and settled for a silver medal in the men's 4×400 meters relay at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. He was part of the Tokyo Olympic 4×400 meter relay team that broke the then Asian record.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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