Athletics
Who is V Revathi – the sprinter to represent India in mixed 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Olympics
Revathi has been around since quite some time, but it is her qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a part of the Mixed 4x400m team which has brought her the much-needed spotlight.
V Revathi emerged as the fastest Indian woman during the trials for the mixed 4x400m Olympic relay team on Sunday. While her performance would not have been a surprise to the close followers of Indian athletics, to many others it certainly was.
The youngster clocked 53.55 seconds to cross the finish line ahead of the likes of Shuba V, the latest sprinting sensation Dhanalakshmi, the experienced Jisna Mathew and the Asian Games gold medallist VK Vismaya, to make her way to the Indian Olympic contingent.
Revathi has been around since quite some time, but it is her qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a part of the Mixed 4x400m team which has brought her the much-needed spotlight.
#TokyoOlympics
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) July 4, 2021
Revathi V of Tamil Nadu, a national camper, emerged fastest in the trial to pick two women runners for India's 4x400m mixed relay team.https://t.co/5fZFIlxyTK
Hailing from the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Revathi is 23-year-old. Born into a financially unstable family, she lost her father when she was studying in 4th grade and mother the very next year.
Revathi, along with her sister, then stayed in government-run hostels and studied in government-run schools with support from her grandmother, who worked as a daily wage labourer.
"I was in Class 4 when my father died and Class 5 when my mother passed away. My younger sister and I stayed at government-run hostels and studied in government schools. My grandmother was always behind me during tough times," Revathi had said to The Hindu.
She took up running while she was in school and was noticed by her coach, Kannan, when she ran barefoot during a zonal meet. He then took the young Revathi under his wings, and there has been no looking back since for the duo.
Revathi even got into college with a full scholarship under the sports quota but had to leave her studies due to health issues. She had even given up running due to the issues pertaining to her health and the ridicule she faced from society for running.
But, yet again her coach came to her rescue. Kannan made her grandmother understand the bright future Revathi could have and brought her back to athletics as well as studies. And this time there was no going back.
Revathi clinched her first national medal within a year of this incident and turned into a mini-celebrity in her village. People were intrigued by her name and photographs appearing in newspapers and started encouraging her.
She has been a part of the Indian national camp for quite some time now and is currently employed with the Railways. For someone who has made it through the worst of times, V Revathi is surely an inspiration for many budding athletes in this country.
