Times News Network

Mangalore, Jun 22: She is studious, confident and an athlete. That’s Poovamma - an incredible combination that can achieve the impossible. This 16-year-old girl is representing the country at the Junior Asian Athletics, Under-20, in Beijing next month.

Celebrations don’t stop for the Principal and staff of St Mary’s Composite PU College in Falnir, where she completed her SSLC in first class.

Principal Sr Melissa and staff members of St Mary’s PU College with Poovamma at a
felicitation ceremony in Mangalore.

Poovamma has made the college and the State proud with her achievement.
Recently, the school staff bid her farewell to Patiala where the national camp is being held.

The young athlete is all prepared to take on the tough competition in Beijing. She is confident of facing athletes far more experienced in international arena. She will be representing the country in the 400 metres and 400 metres relay.

She is confident that the experience she is going to gain will stand her in good stead in the time to come. Her first trip abroad was to Morocco last year where she represented the country in the medley relay.

Coach Dinesh Kundar is hopeful the teenager will break her own record of 55.43 seconds, which is a national record for the Under-16 set last November at the Chennai nationals. She has the potential and can improve with each competition, he says.

At the Chennai Federation Cup Junior nationals held from June 15 to 17, where she was picked for the Beijing meet, Poovamma clocked 55.7 seconds in the semi-final. But, despite coming first in the final, she couldn’t do better. She clocked 56.12 seconds. The ONGC has been sponsoring Poovamma for the events since March.