MR Poovamma

Senior India quarter-miler and Asian games medallist mr poovamma has been handed a three-month ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency for failing a dope test last year.

Part of the Asian Games gold medal winning quartet, Poovamma originally from Kushalnagar in Kodagu district and since settled here is presently taking part in a training camp at Thiruvananthapuram.

Senior India quarter-miler and Asian Games medallist mr poovamma on Friday returned to action at the Sri Lankan National Championships after serving a two-year ban for flunking a dope test in 2021.

The Indian 4x400 mixed relay quartet of Mohammed Anas, mr poovamma, Hima Das and Arokia Rajiv in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta has been upgraded to gold medal position. Besides, Anu Raghavan moved from fourth place to bronze medal position in the women’s 400m hurdles.

As the nation celebrated sprinter Hima Das being inducted as the deputy superintendent of Assam police, Karnataka’s Machettira Raju Poovamma,30, from Mangaluru, who specialises in 400m running, and has been winning medals consecutively at international competitions, feels the state government “may not be aware of her achievements.’’

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Tuesday lodged a protest against Bahrain for causing obstruction to Hima Das during the 4x400 mixed relay in which India finished second after mr poovamma frittered away a good 30m lead.

The Indian women's 400m relay team, which won a gold at Asian Athletics C'ships, has qualified for World Athletics C'ships to be held in Moscow from August 10-18.

PT Usha said that members of the gold-winning women's 4x400m relay team should have known it beforehand who would be the running partners in quartet.

Compared to fanfare that was associated with her homecoming from Incheon in 2014, it was a compact welcome with elected representatives, sports lovers and her family and friends receiving her when she landed at Mangaluru International Airport from Delhi.

Among the prominent absentees, besides Vikas Gowda, are Seema Antil, preparing for her US training stint, and Belarussian coach Nikolai Snesarev's trainees OP Jaisha, Lalita and Sudha.

Three women Incheon Asian Games gold medallists took up cudgels for the sports fraternity of Karnataka, seeking better rewards for success on the international stage.

Former Isro chairman K Kasturirangan, Nimhans director Dr P Satish Chandra, playback singer S Janaki and sportswomen Mamatha Poojari and mr poovamma are among the 59 recipients of this year's Kannada Rajyotsava awards.

mr poovamma and Arpinder Singh were adjudged as the 'Best Athletes' as ONGC retained the overall trophy in the 17th Federation Cup senior athletics.

mr poovamma won gold in women's 400m race with a splendid timing of 52.75 secs in Federation Cup Athletics but missed World C'ships qualifying mark by a whisker.

Senior India quarter-miler and Asian Games medallist mr poovamma has been handed a two-year ban for flunking a dope test last year as the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel of the NADA overturned a disciplinary panel decision to hand her a three-month suspension.

The new synthetic track at the Sree Kanteerava stadium here will host the country’s top athletes for the first time next month at the 61st National Open Athletics Championship.

mr poovamma won her fourth straight title in women's 400m, clocking 53.41 secs to join the national squad for the Asian C'ships to be held at Wuhan, China next month.

As many as 744 athletes, including 264 women from 26 states will take part in the five-day 56th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, a qualifying event for the Rio Olympics, beginning on Tuesday.

At least six of the probables, including dope-tainted Ashwini, Juana and Sini Jose, who are back in action after a two-year ban, will race in the trials in Patiala.

India won five medals on Day 12, all of which came from the track and field arena. The haul took India's medal tally to 59 medals on Thursday, which included 13 gold, 21 silver and 25 bronze.

Two-time Olympian and Asian Games Gold medallist mr poovamma did the nation proud by winning a bronze at the women's 400m category of the Asian Grand Prix 2017 - 3rd leg in Taipei.

Promising athlete Muhammed Anas Yahiya came up with another yet sterling display as he bettered his own 400m Indian record with the timing of 45.24s at the Cena Noveho Mesta nad Metuji meet in Czech Republic on Saturday.

Karnataka Athletics Association announced the men's and women's teams for the four-day open National Athletics championship at Kolkota, beginning September 10.

Top athletes Neeraj Chopra, mr poovamma and Annu Rani clinched gold in their respective events at the second leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics meet on Thursday.

Karnataka athlete mr poovamma, who missed the National inter-state athletics, will get another chance to qualify for the London Olympics at the Asian All Star athletics meet beginning in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Saturday.

Just 48 hours before he won silver in the mixed 4x400m relay on Tuesday evening - with a timing of 3:15.71 along with Muhammed Anas, Hima Das and mr poovamma - Arokia Rajiv was a dejected man after he missed out on a bronze in the men's 400m final.

India are in line to get the Asian Games gold in 4x400 mixed relay with Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain being handed a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for failing a dope test.

Farhan Akhtar, Manoj Tiwari sang their own versions of ‘cycle songs’ before hundreds of Delhiites started their races on Sunday.

The Indian 4x400 mixed relay quartet of Mohammed Anas, mr poovamma, Hima Das and Arokia Rajiv at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta has been upgraded to gold medal position. Besides, Anu Raghavan moved from fourth place to bronze medal position in the women’s 400m hurdles.

mr poovamma has always taken inspiration from her medal-winning seniors, and now she has to live up to the standards set by them.