Eight athletes from Tamil Nadu to represent India

TIRUCHI APRIL 2. Eight athletes from Tamil Nadu are selected to represent India in the Invitation International meet to be held at Mauritius from April 8 according to Mr. Walter Devaram, President Tamil Nadu Amateur Athletics Association. The athletes include Olympian C. Tirugnana Dorai, National champions from Chennai R. Ramesh Babu, Shyamanthakam, C. Lata, Swetha, K.N. Priya and N. Thaarini from Tiruchi and Pradeep Rajkumar from Coimbatore. C.K. Valson will be the manager and coach. There will be 15 events for men and 12 events for women in this meet.

N. Thaarini, a first year college student from Tiruchi, is an up coming athlete, she won the Bharathidasan University inter- collegiate individual athletic championship in the process she set four new records in the 100, 200 400 and 800 metres respectively.

She also clinched four golds in the Tamil Nadu inter-University athletic championship in the 200, 400, 800 metres and 4x100 relay categories and a silver medal in the 100 metres. She considers the 800 metre race as her forte but has won gold in every category.

In mid-January 2001 at the 16th inter-State Junior athletic meet at Bangalore, she set her best time in the 800 metres with 2m12.07s besides winning another gold in 4x400 relay and a silver in 400 metres.

Earlier, in December at the all India inter-University athletic meet at Amritsar, she clocked 2m14.0s in the 800 metres and was the first girl athlete from a Tamil Nadu University to achieve this distinction besides winning a bronze in 400 metres.

At Hissar she ran the 800 metres in 2m16.01s and clinched another gold in 400 metres in the inter- zonal meet in December.

In the South Zone Junior National meet at Hyderabad in October,2000, She timed 2m30.0s in 800 metres, and triumphed in the 200, 400 metres category and 4x400 relay.

Thaarini is selected for the coaching camp to represent the country in the World championship at Edmonton and Afro-Asian Games, both to be held this year and the Commonwealth and Asian Games. She is also selected for the National junior coaching camp at SAI, South centre, Bangalore, which will be conducted from mid-April for the forthcoming Asian Junior meet to be held at Brunei in July 2001.

If channelised properly aided by scientific and focussed coaching, she is sure to reach greater heights, winning laurels for the country.

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Section  : Sport
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