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Bhubaneswar: Srabani Nanda's first coach feels it was her sheer perseverance and grim determination that finally earned her a berth for the Rio Olympics in August.
“I am extremely happy that Srabani has qualified for the Rio Olympics. She had earlier tried to qualify for the Olympics but had failed. But she did not lose heart and kept trying relentlessly and finally made her dream come true. In doing this, she has proved that she has the talent to participate in a mega sporting event,” her early coach Nilamadhab Deo told OTV today.
Born to a middle class family at Masterpara colony of Phulbani town in 1991, Srabani set her foot for the first time in Bhubaneswar in 2003 at the age of 12 and took admission in the Sports Hostel at Kalinga Stadium as a student of Class VII. It was here that she began her career in athletics under the watchful eyes of her coach Nilamadhab Deo. Since then, she has never looked back.
After winning several events in the junior category, she got a major success in an international event when she won a gold medal in the 4X100 metre relay race in the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune. Later, she won a bronze medal in the 4x100 metre relay event in the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games. Six years later, she won a gold medal in the 200-metre run and a silver medal in 100-metre sprint in the 2016 South Asian Games in Assam.
Incidentally, Srabani and Dutee are the second pair of woman athletes from Odisha to have qualified for the Rio Olympics,a full 16 years after Rachita Panda Mistry and Anuradha Biswal made the cut for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
“Both I and Rachita had qualified for Sydney Olympics in 2000. I am very happy that two Odia women sprinters Dutee and Srabani have qualified for the Rio Olympics after 16 years. I wish that they fulfill their dreams and win medals for India,” said Anuradha Biswal.
Meanwhile, the family members have celebrated the success of Srabani in their house in Phulbani town.
“I was sure that Srabani would be successful and she did it. She had a dream from her childhood that she would participate in the Olympics. Her hard work has finally paid off and I am feeling very happy,” Srabani's grandmother told OTV.
“Words fail to express my feelings on the success of my daughter as she has finally realised her dream. It is the blessing of the god, the people Odisha and her coach that has seen her qualify for the Olympics,” Srabani’s mother Subasini Raiguru said.
