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)