A first year mass communications student of Bangalore’s Shri Bhagawan Mahaveer College, the overriding passion of Viraja Achar (20) is to “put Indian athletics on the world map”.
She started running at the age of eight, and ever since then, she’s been building up the spirit and stamina to stand on the London Olympics 2012 winner’s podium. Thus far her achievements are modest — two bronzes in the South Zone Athletics championships in Vijayawada (2005), and inter-state junior athletics championship in 2006, both in 110 metres hurdles, which is her favourite event. Moreover in 2007 she bagged the champion’s trophy of Bangalore University.
Yet this young athlete’s accomplishment is not the medals she has won, but her ability to run at all. In 2007 while hurdling in the Bangalore University athletics championship, she suffered a fall and injured her left knee. “An x-ray revealed that I had a miniscuas and ariel ligament tear in my knee, and I had to undergo a complex two-hour surgery at Bangalore’s Apollo Hospital. With my father Shrikar T.S’ motivation and training, I started from walking to strengthen my leg to running and hurdling. It was a painful struggle, but I am back in peak form,” says this intrepid athlete.
Resolute about representing India in the 100 metres womens hurdles in the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010, Achar entertains no illusions about the enormity of the task ahead. “My best timing for the 100 metres hurdles is 14.5 seconds. Against this the Commonwealth Games record is 12.70 and the Olympics record for 100 m hurdles set by Harper Dawn in Beijing is 12.54. But I have almost two years to improve my performance and take my timings to the next level,” she says gallantly.
And although this can-do young trackstar is prepared to train intensively, she believes that all Indian athletes — herself included — could do with greater government and institutional support, by way of better practice and competition facilities. “The on-field performance of Indian athletes across the country would improve considerably if we are provided better facilities and training equipment on a par with China, whose athletes dominated the Beijing Olympics. I believe Indian athletes have abundant talent, but lack encouragement,” says Achar, who often walks the ramp as a fashion model to subsidise her nutrition and training expenses.
Rashi Agarwal (Bangalore)