Sports should be made an integral part of school curriculum so that Tamil Nadu could produce more number of champions, said Gomathi Marimuthu, gold medallist at Asian Athletics Championship at Doha, Qatar.
Speaking at the inauguration of ‘Xperanze 2k19,’ the annual sports meet of Velammal Medical College Hospital and Research Institute here on Monday, the 800 metre sprinter said people barely knew her when she was competing within the country. But, now, the fame had helped her get sponsorship from government agencies and corporates.
“Only in my 20s that I took to serious sprinting. I never gave much thought to my wins in sports meets at school till I was in Class 9. My belief is that with the right kind of infrastructure, many youngsters can do better than they do now,” she said.
The medicos gave her a rousing welcome and cheered the champion throughout her speech. Many took photos with her on the podium and congratulated her for the Doha feat.
Speaking to The Hindu , Ms. Gomathi said the State and Central governments must provide more job opportunities for sportspersons so that people need not leave sports altogether for the sole reason of providing support to their families. “I experienced some inconveniences at my village (Mudikandam) while commuting. When I did get a job, I would finish work and go for training. When sportspersons have job security a government agency provides, they will continue to play sports,” she said. Ms. Gomathi is working in the business division of the Income Tax department in Bengaluru.
The sprinter said she would start training for the World Championships 2019 from Tuesday with her coach. “Prior to my win, there was no diet as such, but I follow some restrictions now,” she said. She aims to win medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics and looking forward to beat peers at the international level instead of being content with her win in Asia.
M.V.Muthuramalingam, Chairman, Velammal Educational Trust, in his address, said they would continue to support sporting icons.
