Golden journey of sprinter from Karaikudi to Turkey

Naveen, a Class 12 student of the Government Sports Hostel in Madurai, hails from Karaikudi in Sivagangai district. Speaking to DTNext, Naveen said that he knew that his team would bag the gold medal. 

In the medley relay four persons would run a total distance of 1,000 metre; while the first runner would run for 100 metre, the second runner would run for 200m. The third runner should run for 300m and the fourth should complete the cycle by running for 400m. Naveen, who was the fourth sprinter, played a critical role in winning the gold medal. When the relay was handed over to Naveen, he had managed to run past three runners and reach the winning crease with a difference of 30 metre. 

India had bagged only two gold medals in the event with another having come from javelin throw. Naveen says his ultimate aim is to win the Olympic gold medal for India which his father S P Ramu had dreamt of as a national level athlete in his school days. Ramu said he noticed the potential of an athlete in Naveen when he started training him in sports and hence focussed on athlete training ever since Naveen turned 12. 

When Ramu accompanied Naveen to Chennai to participate in an athletics meet, he met coach Kannan from Madurai and shifted his son there where he was admitted at government sports hostel. 

Ramu also thanked Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, for the encouragement given to sports persons. Earlier only Rs 75 per day was allotted for food but now it has been increased to Rs 250 paving way for protein rich foods in the hostels. Naveen’s coach Kannan said the teen is a promising athlete with several national and state records to his credit. “His national record of completing 400 metre in 47.8 seconds is better than the All India Inter university records. His state level record is completing 200 metre in of 21.4 minutes.” 

Kannan said Naveen also got selected for 200 metre run at the national level, but couldn’t participate in the competition as he fell ill in previous night and was hospitalised.