Twitter
Advertisement

Was special to be part of Olympic centenary: KM Beenamol

As the youngest in the Indian team — and it being my first Games — I went to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with a slightly timorous disposition.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

As the youngest in the Indian team — and it being my first Games — I went to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with a slightly timorous disposition.

Also, it marked 100 years of Olympics and it was a special feeling to be part of the anniversary. Being the greatest sporting extravaganza, I could only gape in wonder at the enormity of the Olympics.

I was a member of the 4x400m women’s relay team. The relay event, however, ended in disappointment. We were disqualified in the heats, citing track change, and also the team itself had performed very badly. But on the upside, Leander Paes won an individual bronze after more than four decades. The Indian contingent was naturally ecstatic.

In Sydney, I was able to participate in 400m. I reached the semifinal to become only the third Indian women to do so. Suddenly, the limelight and media focus back home was on me as nobody had preformed so well in athletics for a long time.

Before the start, I was struck by the phlegmatic and relaxed approach of the other athletes and wondered why I couldn’t feel the same way. It probably came with the experience of having participated in lot of international events. It was raining heavily during the semifinal. When I returned from the event, the members of the Indian team were anxious about how I would negotiate such tough conditions. But I had confidence in my training and my prayers and was able to give my best.

In Athens, I was again part of the relay team and we were actually expecting a medal there as our preparations had been exceptionally good. Athens, being the birthplace of the Olympics, was special.

I realised I was stepping into the realm of history. We reached the semifinal in relay, bettering the national record but could not perform in the final as two of our top athletes had to be rested owing to injury and illness.

Athens was also special as my brother Binu was participating in the 800m. He did extremely well, bettering Milkha Singh’s 37-year national record.

Beenamol is only one of the three Indian women to reach an Olympic semifinals. She spoke to Manju Subhash Chandran

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement