We all have come across stories of success, stories of people rising from the bottom and shining across the horizon. This piece is about an Indian track and field sprinter Gomathi Marimuthu who has made her country proud with her 800m women’s track event win at the recently held Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Belonging to a small village called Mudikandam in the Tiruchirapalli city of Tamil Nadu, a south Indian state, the athlete got no sponsorship or support from anyone and her sheer hard work and dedication helped her sustain. The family went through a financial turmoil and to even get sufficient bread in the kitchen was a struggle. Even in those trying times, her family motivated her to continue and excel in her athletic career, so much so that her father used to have the food which was meant for the cattle.
She hit a personal low in 2016 when she lost both, her father Marimuthu and her coach. This was in addition to an injury that adversely affected her performance that year and the succeeding one. Her elder sister Mary was her pillar of strength during that time.
When competing at the Asian Athletics Championship, Gomathi participated in a torn pair of shoes. She hopes to get support from the government in her bid for the Olympics and hopes that nobody will have to struggle to get support in their journey to achieve their dreams.
Gomathi’s struggle is a testimony to the undying spirit of hope that can make us stretch beyond our means, our capabilities, and our imagination. Her story will surely inspire us to keep striving on!
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