Chennai: “I remained empty for some time and my whole trip flashed before my eyes,” said Revathi Veeramani emotionally about then when his name was confirmed for the Tokyo Olympics.
It was enough to travel for the 23-year-old Tamil Nadu sprinter, a orimate child who was raised by a daily wage worker who was even unable to buy a pair of running shoes.
Revathi, part of the Indian mixture relay team 4x400m, lost his parents when he was seven years old and grew up by his grandmother Arama, who worked as a daily bet.
As a teenager, Revathi is normal barefoot.
His life may lack less than ordinary but for Kannan’s right eye, coach in the center of Madurai from the authority of the development of Tamil Nadu sports.
Kannan saw Revathi in action at the Mgr Race Cours Stadium in Madurai in 2014-15.
He did not win the event but the coach saw a spark at the time of 17 years old.
“I saw this young girl ran barefoot and was impressed with her steps.
I found where she lived and decided to go and meet her.
Grandma Revathi politely refused my offer to train it because she felt it would be expensive.
They are from poor families and Reluctant to pursue full time sports, “Kannan recalls.
“I can’t afford the bus fee around Rs 40 from my house to the training center but Pak Kannan is persistent,” said Revathi.
Some efforts from Kannan finally saw Grandma Revathi surrendered.
Not only coach Kannan Revathi without imposing a fee, he also helped him get a free entrance ticket in Lady Day College, Madurai.
The first biggest challenge for Revathi is running with shoes.
“Even though Kannan Sir made me shoes, I was comfortable running without footwear.
During a period of time, I learned to run with shoes,” Revathi said.
The breakthrough moment arrived in 2016 when he won a gold medal in a 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in a junior citizen in Coimbatore.
“That performance made me realize that Revathi was intended for greater things,” Kannan said.
Revathi was trained by Kannan until 2019 before he shifted base to Patiala to become part of the National Camp.
While he mainly ran at 100m and 200 m in the early phase of his career, Revathi became a quarter of the Miler thanks to Galina Bukharina, India’s 400m coach.
In 2019, Revathi won the 400m women’s events in India Grand Prix 5 and 6 each (respectively, 54.44 and 53.63 seconds.
Knee injuries made him not in action during the first part of the current season but Revathi returned to win the 400m event At the Indian Grand Prix last month.
The latest experiments to choose a 4x400m relay event see Revathi finished above with 53.55 seconds.
The trip to Tokyo also means revathi’s wedding talks entered the backburner for now.
“My grandmother had a plan to marry me But thanks to the Olympics, he has changed his mind and wanted me to continue what I did, “said Revathi, who was hired as a ticket collector with the South Train in Madurai.
Tokyo Olympics: Revathi TN will run for the nation
