Ashwini Akkunji dreams of breaking P.T. Usha's record

Ashwini Akkunji's ambition is not complete with yesterday's gold. The timing by P T Usha is what she wants badly

Ashwini Akkunji's ambition is not complete with yesterday's gold. The timing by P T Usha is what she wants badly

Even as Ashwini Akkunji was heading to a gold medal finish in the 400m women's hurdles event at the Asian Games, there was another thought crossing her mind ufffd whether she can cross that finish line in record-breaking time. And that too not just any record, but a record set by her idol and India's former sprint queen
PT Usha.

Ashwini Akkunji crosses the finish line to win the women's 400m hurdles gold yesterday. Pic/AFP

Usha ran the 400m hurdles in a national record time of 55.42 seconds at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. The record still stands, and going by Ashwini's Asiad gold-winning timing of 56.15 seconds, it appears that it will be a while before Usha's name is erased off that record.u00a0

Record
But try telling that to the 23-year-old Ashwini, who hails from Kundapur village in Kerala's Udipi district, and she shoots back, almost nonchalantly: "My aim is to break the record within a year."

Moments later and with a little hesitation, she reveals her real target. "Maybe at next year's Asian Championship (to be held in Kyodo, Japan from July 7-10)," said Ashwini before whom only MD Valsamma (1982) and PT Usha (1986) were able to win Asiad golds in this event.

Speaking of the race, Ashwini said she was a bit worried at the start. "Since I was in Lane 4, most of the other girls started ahead of me and strongly, but when I caught up with them, I knew I would clinch gold."

However, she did have a feeling that the yellow metal might come her way a day earlier.

"When I ran my heat (she finished first) and saw my timing, I thought that I have a good chance for the gold medal," she admitted.

Hectic
Ashwini however, claimed she did not get enough time to train for the 400m hurdles event. "We only had about a month between the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games and it is only within this time that I was able to train for the event. Now, I will have more time to train. I will work hard," assured Ashwini, who has great regard for Usha.

"I have grown up in the era of PT Usha, Ashwini Nachappa and other great athletes. They inspired me to take up athletics. Then my coach told me that I have long legs, so I should try hurdles and it worked," added the tall and lanky Ashwini, who is happy to have achieved her personal best here shaving off 0.28 seconds off her previous top time.

But aren't good height and long legs apt for a career in basketball? "It is, but there is no scope for basketball, so I took up athletics," she said.

The entire country will be thankful to her for making that career choice.