This gold medal is extra special: Athlete Nandini

Hyderabad: For 18-year-old State athlete Agasara Nandini, the gold in the 100m hurdles in the 20th National Federation Cup U-20 Athletics Championships at Nadiad in Gujarat is extra special. While the gold helped her secure the second straight qualification for the upcoming Junior World Athletic Championship, scheduled to be held in Colombia from August 1-6, […]

Hyderabad: For 18-year-old State athlete Agasara Nandini, the gold in the 100m hurdles in the 20th National Federation Cup U-20 Athletics Championships at Nadiad in Gujarat is extra special.

While the gold helped her secure the second straight qualification for the upcoming Junior World Athletic Championship, scheduled to be held in Colombia from August 1-6, the fact that she recovered from a bout of Covid-19 and battled a hamstring injury made her more satisfied.

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“This is very special to me. I was determined to qualify for the World Athletics Championship. I worked really hard for this. I was down with Covid-19 in January. Once I returned to track, I suffered a hamstring injury. My body could not take the tough training since I just recovered from Covid. I was very low and almost went into depression. For one month, I haven’t slept or eaten properly,” she revealed.

“But my coaches helped me a lot. They never let me feel down. I am very thankful to my physios Vinil and Navnitha. The injury generally takes two to two and half months to recover. But they helped me get back to training in a span of just one month. Because of them, I could do this timing and qualify for the World Athletics event,” she said from Gujarat.

The student of TSWREIS said she was desperate to qualify for the junior Worlds. “I worked very hard before this event with an eye on the qualification mark. But I didn’t take much pressure, though I was a bit nervous because of the injury,” she revealed.

Nandini, who also won a silver medal in the long jump in the event, thanked her coaches for their support in tough times. “(Nagapuri) Ramesh sir, Shaji Sir, Laxman sir and Nagaraj sir took care of me during the tough period. I could not achieve this without their help,” she added.

The youngster had competed in the Junior Athletics World Championships in Nairobi last year and finished sixth in the semifinal. But she is confident of winning a medal this time.

“Last time, I was a bit nervous as it was my first big event. My body also could not adjust to the climate and food there. But this time I am more experienced and more determined. Having recovered from injuries and battled tough times, I have become stronger now. My goal is to win a medal for the country. I am confident of finishing among the top three in the final,” she oozed confidence.

Also read: https://telanganatoday.com/telanganas-nandini-for-junior-world-athletics-championship

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