Green light to glory
TN lad Rajesh basks in glory following his exploits at the World Championships
India’s Rajesh Ramesh reacts after the men’s 4x400m relay heats during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest
CHENNAI: Amidst the vibrant symphony of Onam festivities in the southern state of Kerala, the Indian men’s relay team, a quartet of talents, Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi, and Rajesh Ramesh embarked on a new chapter.
Nestled into their temporary haven for the next month in Thiruvananthapuram, they are poised to focus themselves in rigorous training, preparing for the upcoming Asian Games.
Hot on the heels of its recent success at the World Athletics Championship where the team etched history by creating an Asian record of 02:59:05 in the qualifiers, their gaze now turned towards scaling more heights and that’d start with the Asiad outing.
In a conversation with DT Next, Rajesh Ramesh, the homegrown hero from Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu, has heaped praise from millions after successfully running the final lap of the 4x400M relay after the baton was passed to him by Ajmal Variyathodi in the qualifiers at the World Athletics Championships. A multitude of prayers whispered on the lips of the masses that bore witness; soon he has now transformed into a national sensation. But it was a journey through rocky terrain, not a leisurely stroll.
In the memoirs of that moment, Rajesh revealed that a tempest of nerves swirled within him as the race’s curtain poised to rise. The tension persisted till the very last second, culminating when the baton found refuge in his hand. A transformation surged through him, a fusion of instinct and willpower, and the collective prayers of his well-wishers. He surged forward, leaving a trail of determination in his wake. The youngest of the team, Rajesh constantly drew inspiration and advice from his teammates.
Coming from a humble background, Rajesh was offered the job of Ticket Collector in Tiruchy in the Southern Railways Division through a sports quota. Three years ago, when the pandemic brought silence upon the entire world, his training ground was locked out, stifling his preparation. A chapter etched in difficulty, he recalled, a chapter that tested his resilience.
Things slowly started to look brighter in 2021. Rajesh started to juggle between work and training and in November of 2021, he rejoined the National camp and started full-fledged training. “The training I took up in 2021 helped me perform well at the Indian Grand Prix held in Thiruvanthapuram,” he says, where he recorded a time of 46.09 in the 400M race.
As the horizon beckons towards the Asian Games, where Thiruvananthapuram’s grounds would be their sanctum before they embark on a flight towards Hangzhou, China, Rajesh’s words shimmered with newfound confidence. The afterglow of the recent success had lit a fire within the team, an ember of belief, as they stride towards the Asiad with their spirits soaring higher than ever.
Alas, their aim wasn’t fixated on individual chronicles or records. Their hearts pulsated with the desire to eclipse their feats at the World Athletics Championships, and to ferry that momentum to the 2024 World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas, and the grand canvas of the 2024 Olympic Games, scheduled to happen in Paris.
“Qualifying for the finals for the first time in the history is an achievement in itself and the support and love I have received over the course of the tournament has helped me put my best foot forward,” says Rajesh.
In the ebb and flow of emotions, Rajesh traced his footsteps back to his days at school, a tributary of memories that flowed towards Parandhaman, the Physical Training instructor who motivated him and had him shifted to the Tiruchy’s sports hostel. There, he studied and trained from grade sixth to XII, before moving to Chennai to study at the DG Vaishnav College in 2017 and there has been no looking back since then.
As the curtains fall over the World Athletics Championships and the attention turns towards the Asian Games, the journey of these athletes will go on to inspire the next generation of youth. In the world of sports, setbacks are inevitable, but one’s character is defined on the basis of how they react and overcome those setbacks. Rajesh’s experience serves as a testament to his tenacity and sheer commitment.
