Two years ago when Therese Joseph came out with flying colours in the SSLC examinations bagging A+ grade in all subjects, she was rewriting an ignominious reputation that sportspersons have — that they do not do well in academics.
Now, the young athlete from Pullurampara in Kozhikode, who has two gold medals (in 800m and 4X400m relay) and a silver medal (1,500m) to her credit in the National School Athletics Meet held in Ranchi last year, has underscored what she had showed earlier.
Therese is the sole student from her school (St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Pullurampara) to score 100 per cent marks (1,200 out of 1,200) in the higher secondary (Commerce) examinations, the result of which were announced last week.
“Sports never became a hurdle to my studies,” says the young talent, who has been winning medals at national meets since 2008. “Instead, I enjoyed it, as it complemented my studies,” says the athlete, who spends around five hours daily for practice in two shifts.
Neither the hard work she had to put in for sports nor the financial hardship faced by her family distracted her from studies. “My good results went a long way in changing the age-old prejudice even teachers have against sports students,” says Therese, who is planning to pursue her higher studies in commerce at the neighbouring government college at Kodenchery while taking her passion for sports forward.
The talented runner, who deeply values the contributions of the Malabar Sports Academy at Pullurampara and its chief coach Tomy Cherian in her growth as a medal-winning athlete, is however sad that neither any sponsors nor the authorities have yet come forward to help her in any way.
With her house lost to the vagaries of weather, Therese lives in a rented house at Pullurampara with her father, who is a manual labourer, her mother, and two siblings.
Therese also nurses the dream of becoming a civil servant. After finishing graduation, she plans to do for Master’s in business studies. “I want to write the IAS exam after that,” says Therese, who believes that help and encouragement come from least expected quarters when all promises go in vain.
