The bronze medal winning performance in the 400-metre event by Arokia Rajiv, hailing from a village near Lalgudi in Tiruchi, on Sunday at the Asian Games in Incheon (South Korea) has enthralled sports lovers of the district.
Rajiv, who hails from Vazhudaiyur, clocked a personal best of 45.92 seconds to finish behind Yousef Al-Masrahi of Saudi Arabia and Abbas Abubaker of Bahrain.
“I am very happy that my son has won a bronze medal for the country.
“ thank God for giving him the strength and confidence,” said his father Y. Soundararajan, a school van driver.
Rajiv studied at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Lalgudi, and St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchi. Rajiv, serving in the Army, has been performing well at the national and international level for the past few years.
The 23-year-old competed in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“Born in a poor family, Rajiv has risen through sheer hard work. He is mentally very strong and stays focused on his goals,” said T. Ramachandran, joint secretary, Tiruchi District Athletic Association, who is from Lalgudi.
Expressing happiness over Rajiv’s bronze medal-winning performance, N. Annavi, former international high jumper, said that his effort would inspire young athletes to aim big.
