Tholem Sriteja breaks 32-year-old mark, eyes 2028 Olympics

Telangana athlete Tholem Sriteja broke a 32-year-old record with 4,965 points while winning the under-20 heptathlon at the South Zone Junior National Athletics Championships. The 19-year-old now has her sights set on 400m qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Hyderabad: Tholem Sriteja, daughter of a daily-wage labourer from Bhadrachalam in Telangana, came up with a defining performance at the recent South Zone Junior National Athletics Championships in Puducherry, winning the girls’ under-20 heptathlon and eclipsing a 32-year-old record with 4,965 points.

The performance did not surprise her mentors, including her first coach Nagendra of Kothagudem, who first spotted her during the School Games meets, SAI athletics coach Nagapuri Ramesh and the support staff at the Gopi Chand Academy, where she is a resident trainee.

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A second-year degree student of Social Welfare College in Ibrahimpatnam, Sriteja made her first big impression at the 2024 Youth Nationals, winning a bronze in Bilaspur. At the 2024 South Zone Championships in Guntur, she won gold in the heptathlon.

Consistency has been her forte. When she won silver in the heptathlon at the Junior Nationals in Bhubaneswar, it was another reminder of her growing stature. She further confirmed her status with a gold at last year’s Federation Athletics (under-20) Championships in the heptathlon.

But what clearly changed the 19-year-old’s career for the better was the gold she won at the 2025 Junior Nationals in the heptathlon. The performance earned her a place at the Gopi Chand Academy, while the Eenadu Lakshya sponsorship has also helped her significantly.

“I am really thankful to Messrs. Ramesh, Saji and Nagaraju,” she added.

“I feel moving to Hyderabad after finishing my 10th standard and getting the Eenadu sponsorship was the big turning point of my career,” Sriteja told Telangana Today.

In a way, the disciplined training system in the Gurukulam residential educational institutions had a major influence on the gifted athlete.

With Ramesh of SAI mentoring her, Sriteja looked only one way — ahead — and rarely faltered in most of the events.

“In fact, last week’s South Zone meet, where I set the record, was my first after recovering from a muscle tear. It was also my last in the under-20 category. It was very hot and the conditions were really challenging. But I was doubly keen to make an impact and I am glad that I could win a gold,” said the delighted athlete.

“Somehow, there were positive vibes right through the recent South Zone meet. The confidence was there too,” she added.

“I am also grateful to my physio Tara Revathi at Gopi Academy for facilitating such a speedy recovery,” she added.

Inspired by her senior and Asian medallist Nandini at the same academy, Sriteja is now gunning for bigger glory even as she shifts her focus to the 400m.

“It may sound too ambitious, but I am targeting 400m qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” said a confident Sriteja.

“I am conscious of the challenges involved, but to be frank, the preparations have already begun and I am grateful to have such a wonderful support staff and constant encouragement from the likes of Gopi Sir (Pullela Gopi Chand), all the officials at the college and Dr Rama Laxman Sir,” she said.