With the help of determined coaches and hunger to excel, talent from small towns is making it big
There is more than one common thread that binds the five Tamil Nadu track-and-field athletes — Arokia Rajiv, P Naganathan, V Revathi, V Subha and S Dhanalakshmi — who have qualified for the Tokyo Games. Their consistent shows at national level events in recent times notwithstanding, all of them come from relatively smaller districts such as Trichy, Madurai and Ramanathapuram. To top that, they have made it to the biggest sporting stage despite hailing from families with modest means. While the track and field athletes from districts in the state have featured in the Olympics, this is the first time that five of them are part of it.
As one makes way into the Rockfort Academy in Trichy’s Ponmalai Railway Ground, coach Manikandan Arumugam can be seen fine-tuning his students on the track. The facilities may not be world-class but the ground has produced a top-notch athlete like Dhanalakshmi, who caught everyone’s attention with her stupendous show at this year’s Federation Cup in March. Manikandan is among the few private coaches — across Trichy and Madurai — who have been training young athletes for the past many years.
As one makes way into the Rockfort Academy in Trichy’s Ponmalai Railway Ground, coach Manikandan Arumugam can be seen fine-tuning his students on the track. The facilities may not be world-class but the ground has produced a top-notch athlete like Dhanalakshmi, who caught everyone’s attention with her stupendous show at this year’s Federation Cup in March. Manikandan is among the few private coaches — across Trichy and Madurai — who have been training young athletes for the past many years.