Surat girl wins bronze in Asian triathlon event

Surat girl Pooja Chaurushi has won the bronze medal in Asian Cup Junior Triathlon Competition held in  Kazakhstan. This is the first international prize for India in the game. This is also Pooja's first international prize in her career. She will be arriving at Surat on Wednesday.

Pooja, 17, a resident of Adajan, is a triathlon athlete.  She has brought glory to the country after winning the first international medal for herself in Asian Cup Junior Triathlon Competition held recently in Kokshetau city of Kazakhstan.

Pooja, who was the sole player from the country to participate in the event, came third and won the bronze medal in the event. Interestingly, this is first medal in any international triathlon event for both India and Pooja.

Triathlon is a sport in which a player has to do sprinting, swimming and cycling in a single competition. Pooja was overjoyed with the success as she was successful after three unsuccessful attempts at earlier international competitions. She finished fourth in an international event in Singapore in 2008 and finished 11th in another international event held in Indonesia thereafter.

She was to take part in Triathlon Olympics in China in 2008, but was denied visa by Chinese authorities due to some technical reasons.

Pooja's parents are overjoyed with her win and have decided to throw a party after her arrival in Surat on Wednesday. "Her hard work and dedication has helped Pooja win the medal in the international event. We are very happy with her success and this medal will definitely boost her morale. We are planning something big to celebrate her success," Pooja's mother Leena Chaurushi said.