KODAIKANAL: An otherwise lazy morning in
Kodaikanal town
sprung to life on Sunday with the arrival of more than 500 athletes from across the state to compete in the state cross country marathon organised by
Dindigul District Athletic Association
(DDAA) in association with
Tamil Nadu Athletic Association
.
Apart from students and athletes, a large number of police personnel from Chennai and army personnel from Coimbatore took part in the event. No wonder then that it was the police team from Chennai which secured the overall championship which took into account the total number of winners in all categories - 10 km for men, 8 km for women and boys and 6 km for girls.
C Susila, a final year college student hailing from a poor family in a village near Kavinadu in Pudukottai, bagged the first prize in the women's category. "It is a memorable win for me. This will boost my confidence to achieve bigger things in future. I thank the president of Pudukottai district atheletic association PVR Sekaran and my coach S Loganathan for the win." "We should have reached here some days earlier to get used to the conditions. But being a college student, that was not possible," felt a competitor from Erode district after he lost.
President and secretary of DDAA V R
Rajagopal Dorai Rajah
and R Gunasekaran respectively along with other dignitaries handed over certificates and mementos to the winners. Cash awards were transferred to the winners' bank account to ensure transparency. The toppers of the competition will take part in the national-level marathon.
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