SE Asia's fastest woman, a mother of one
SE Asia's fastest woman, a mother of one
JAKARTA (JP): Malaysian sprinter Shanti Govindasamy completed
a series of firsts yesterday.
She finished first in the 100 meters women's dash, in a new
personal best time to win her first gold and be officially
declared the fastest women in the region.
"This is my first gold medal and my best time, don't ask how I
feel," she said. There was no need to ask, the expression on her
face and the overall delight of the Malaysian contingent said it
all.
The 30-year-old Govindasamy said her victory would be
dedicated to her husband, Kaanan, who was at home in Kuala
Lumpur.
It is Kaanan who seems to be 'the man behind the woman'. He
has been one of her prime motivators and encouraged her to
continue her athletic career.
"The first thing I would like to do now is call my husband and
share my happiness with him," she said amid the queue of people
waiting to congratulate her.
"My husband is very understanding, he's the one who takes me
to the training center and waits for me with our two-year-old
daughter."
After getting married in 1995, Govindasamy took a year off
from training.
She only returned to the track at the beginning of this year
and was moved into the 100m by her coach Harun Rasyeed.
"I used to run the 200 meters and I won the gold in 1991 (SEA
Games) in Manila," she said.
Govindasamy's victory comes as something of a surprise. Not
known for her tremendous speed off the blocks, her time in the
qualifying heat Monday, 11.56 seconds, was only the third fastest
overall.
In fact her time in the finals yesterday was even slower at
11.61.
A little bit of luck might have come into play as silver
medalist Htay Than Than of Myanmar and bronze medalist Dokjun
Dokduang of Thailand both turned in sub-par performances.
They both clocked faster times in the qualifying heat, Dokjun
11.43 and Htay 11.54.
Govindasamy, who on Sept. 19 celebrated her 30th birthday, did
not always dream of being an athletic champion.
"I used to play field hockey but I quit playing it in 1986,"
she said. "Perhaps the 100 meters is my destiny".
The fourth child in a family of 12, Govindasamy says she was
brought up in an ordinary family.
But athletics has been kind to her, providing for her and her
family very well.
"My final education was only high school and most of my time
was spent playing hockey and later running. Luckily our
government cares about its athletes very well," she explained.
"I am now working at May Bank in Kuala Lumpur," she said.
Looking to the future, Govindasamy claims that she is not
concerned at all about her age. "I'll keep running for gold," she
proclaimed confidently.
Her 1998 targets are the Asian Games in Bangkok and the Kuala
Lumpur Commonwealth Games.
But first of all she said she would like a slight break to
bask in her victory with her family. (04/mds)