Tintu Luka On A Winning Run
Tintu Luka On A Winning Run: Talent That Knows No Bounds
Ace Indian sprinter Tintu Luka won a silver medal at the 800m women's race at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Luka clocked an amazing 1:59.19 (her personal best) to beat the others and improve on her performance at the Asian Games. Previously, she had won the broze medal at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
Kazakhstan’s Mukasheva Margarita won the gold. She also broke the 20 year old Games record of 1:59.89s with a stunning timing of 1:59.02s. The bronze medal went to China's Qu Yunxia. Luka's performance outshine her Chinese rival as she won the silver medal. In fact, Luka even looked set to win the gold medal till she lost to the Kazakh player in the final 50 m of the race.
Compatriot Sushma Devi finished at the fourth position. Coming from the village of Valathode in Kannur in the southern state of Kerala, Tintu performed her best and the results are there for everyone to see. The silver medal is a wonderful achievement given that Indian athletes have finally broken the boundaries with discus throwers Vikas Gowda and Seema Punia securing medals for India. With this win, Indian athletes have finally started a triumphant run at the Asian Games.
Born in April, 1989, Tintu is a national record holder for the women's 800 metre race. Her coach is none other than India's leading athlete P. T. Usha. Luka finished her training at the Usha School of Athletics in Koyilandy, Kerala. One of her supporters is the Olympic Gold Quest.
Luka is no stranger to breaking records. In the Continental Cup held at Croatia, Tintu broke Shiny Wilson's 15 year old national record of 1:59.85s by clocking 1:59.17 to create a new record in India for the 800m event. She is also the winner of a silver medal in the 800 metre race held at the Asian Junior Athletics Championship in Jakarta.
Tinitu has been awarded INR200000 for her performance at the London Olympic Games 2012 and the rank of a gazetted officer in the government. Luka's chances of securing more honours are bright given that she has come of age with this amazing win at Incheon, South Korea.
The Asian Games this year so far have seen good performances from the Indian sportspersons and athletes. A rich haul of medals in shooting followed by astounding wins in other fields such as athletics and tennis are paving the way for a respectable record.
India's total tally of medals will determine its overall position. Currently, China is in the lead followed by Japan and South Korea. India's athletes and sportspersons have to put in hard-work to get the results. The country is proud of them and it is through sports that national pride too gets a big boost. Hopefully, the Indian sportspersons will continue winning medals in the championships to come.
