Dharun hopes silver medal alleviates mother’s suffering
JAKARTA:Life changed for Dharun Ayyasamy when his father passed away eight years ago.
His mother, who earns a measly sum of ~14,000 today from a teaching job in a private school in the Tiruppur district in Chennai, brought him up.
On Monday, the 400m hurdler clinched an Asian Games silver, and was happy that he “would now become the bread-earner of the family”.
“My father passed away when I was just 13 and since then my mother brought me up and my sister on a salary of ~14,000. Today I was running just to win a medal which would guarantee me a decent life and ensure my mother doesn’t go through so many hardships,” said Dharun who also improved the national record of 49.45 sec set by him at the Federation Cup in Patiala in March this year.
The 48.96 sec on Monday was because of Dharun’s ability to maintain a uniform tempo during the course of the race. “My strategy during the first part of the race and the last 200m is the same, to push relentlessly,” said the third year student of Human Resource. The final push came after the 10th hurdle when Dharun scurried past the tall Japanese Takatoshi Abe, pushing him to third spot with a time of 49.12. The winner was Abderrahman Samba of Qatar, who set a time of 47.66, an Asian Games record.
NEENA’S FEAT
Neena Varakil joined the elite list of Kerala athletes who have excelled in long jump, clinching silver with the best lunge of 6.51 in her fourth attempt.
Daughter of a labourer, Varakil gave credit to her husband, Pinto Mathew, a former hurdler, for the success. Perhaps there is another husband-wife success story in the making. Everyone knows what state-mate Anju Bobby George achieved, thanks to her husband Bobby George.