Gomathi Marimuthu. The name that has hogged the headlines for the past few days.
The 30-year-old middle distance runner from a village in Tiruchi created history by winning India’s first gold medal in the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships at the Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
She has proved that hard work will get rich rewards and age is just a number. For someone who took to sports at the age of 20 and took part in just three international events so far, the gold at Doha was a spectacular achievement.
Hailing from an economically backward family in a remote village, Gomathi’s rise to glory was filled with many sad moments. She had the will to overcome all odds and worked hard towards her goal. Born to a farmer, she was the sole bread winner after her father passed away. Her friend inspired her to take up athletics and it fetched her a job. But the desire to achieve big in the international arena was there in her. Added to her misery was the demise of her local coach and she was left with none to guide her.
All she met were challenging times in the last few years. But Gomathi never had any doubts about her abilities, and that has stood her in good stead. Thanks to her self-belief and conviction, she overcame all hurdles to garner glory. Sports-lovers wish that she raises her bar and goes on to bring many more laurels for the nation. She is, indeed, an inspiration for every Indian.