Tamil Nadu’s Ranjith Kumar changes track to become Asian medallist

CHENNAI: For Tamil Nadu’s Ranjith Kumar, the last eight months have unfolded at a furious pace. The quarter-miler competed in his first state-level race only in March, and now the 18-year-old from Pudukkottai district is an Asian U-20 bronze medallist.Ranjith’s foray into athletics began only last year. After playing football for about three months at a local club, he switched to athletics in August on the advice of his school friend Balamurugan, a state-level runner. “After Balamurugan told me to try athletics, I gained interest in it, and he taught me the basics for about a month. It was quite tough in the beginning. Later, coach K Kannan sir spotted me during one of my training sessions in Tiruchirappalli and then I started training under him professionally,” Ranjith told TOI after returning from Hong Kong.At the Asian U-20 meet, Ranjith’s defining moment came in the third leg of the men’s 4x400m relay. Receiving the baton with India in the fifth place, he moved past rivals to move into bronze-medal position. Mohammed Ashfaq held on to the third spot in the anchor leg and India successfully finished the competition with a medal.While Balamurugan sparked Ranjith’s interest in athletics, coach Kannan, manager at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) hostel in Tiruchirappalli, played a key role in refining his talent. Kannan guided him to take up 400m and the progress was swift. Ranjith won gold in his first junior state-level meet in Chennai in March, earning a spot (in the U-20 state team) for the National Relay Carnival in Chandigarh, before a third-place individual finish at the U-20 Federation Cup in Tumkur secured his berth in India’s relay squad for the Asian meet.“When I first started training eight months ago, I did not think that I would come this far. It was a surreal feeling to win a medal in my first international competition. I was under pressure and just thought that I should put in my full effort,” Ranjith added.Behind Ranjith’s rapid rise has been the unwavering support of his family too. Ranjith’s mother is a helper in a government hospital, while father, who has health issues, is a daily wage labourer. “My parents support me in every way they can. I wore spikes for the first time which were bought by my coach for the state meet. Later, my parents managed to buy a pair for the National Relay Carnival. Whenever I need something, my mother, if required, pledges her jewellery. That is how she bought me spikes and sent me to Bengaluru for the national camp ahead of the Asian meet,” said Ranjith, an avid fan of jallikattu.The second-year bachelor’s student in history could not make it to the individual 400m section at the Asian U-20 competition as he finished third in the Federation Cup final (only top-two were selected). The coach feels that Ranjith lacks experience running in high-pressure situations but is hopeful that his student will get better. In less than two weeks’ time, there is selection for the World U-20 Championships at the Indian Open Series 10 meet in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannan said that if Ranjith clocks 46.50 seconds (personal best 46.84s), he can make it to the India squad.