Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha is a retired Indian track and field athlete. She has been associated with Indian athletics since 1979. She is often called the "queen of Indian track and field".
Santhi Soundarajan is an Indian track and field athlete. She is the winner of 12 international medals for India and around 50 medals for her home state of Tamil Nadu. Shanthi Soundarajan is the first Tamil woman to win a medal at the Asian Games. She competes in middle distance track events. She was stripped of a silver medal won at the 2006 Asian Games after failing a sex verification test which disputed her eligibility to participate in the women's competition.
Manathoor Devasia Valsamma is a retired Indian athlete. She was the second Indian woman to win an individual Gold medal at the Asian Games and the first to win it on Indian soil.
Tintu Luka is an Indian track and field athlete, who predominantly competes in the middle-distance running events. Born in Valathode, Kerala, she is the national record holder in the women's 800 metres. Luka represented India at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games. In addition to being the 2015 Asian Champion in the 800 meters, she has won a total of six medals at the Asian Athletics Championships.
Phara Anacharsis is a French athlete who specializes in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles.
Eilidh Doyle is a British track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles and the 4 x 400 metres relay. She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Srabani Nanda is an Indian woman sprint runner athlete from Odisha specialized in 4x100m relay, 100 metre and 200 metre sprint events. She belongs to Kandhamal District of Odisha.
India is unfortunately not affluent in the field of athletics and track events. There are very few athletes who won any medal in any global or major events. But the scenario is changing in the 21st century, when people started taking interest in athletics and facility are providing to improve the meager situation of athletics. Anju Bobby George made history when she won the bronze medal in Women's long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. With this achievement, she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championships in Athletics jumping 6.70 m. Till 2010 Milkha Singh was the only athlete to win an individual gold medal at a Commonwealth Games but at 2010 Commonwealth Games, Krishna Punia created history by winning the Women's discus throw gold medal for India after 52 years and as first woman to win a gold in athletics at Commonwealth Games. In the same edition of Commonwealth games Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji & Mandeep Kaur won the Women's 4 × 400 m (Relay) gold medal. At 2014 Commonwealth Games Vikas Gowda won the Men's Discus Throw gold medal.
Dutee Chand is an Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women's 100 metres event. She is the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women's 100 metres event at the Summer Olympic Games. However in the 2016 Summer Olympics, her 11.69s in the prelimary round did not make her qualify to the next round. In 2018 Chand clinched silver in women's 100m at the Jakarta Asian Games. It was India's first medal in this event since 1998.
Arokia Rajiv is an Indian sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres distance. He won silver medals in the men's and mixed 4×400 m relays at the 2018 Asian Games and placed third in the individual 400 m in 2014. He won medals in both the 400 m and 4×400 m events at the 2016 South Asian Games and 2017 Asian Championships. He competed in the relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Sajan Prakash is an Indian swimmer. He competed in the men's Freestyle, butterfly and relay events at the 2015 National Games in Kerala. He created history on 8 February 2015 by winning 6 gold and 3 Silver medals and became the best athlete of the Indian National Games, held at Trivandrum, Kerala. He also represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympic games in 200 Meter butterfly. [1][2]
Nirmala Sheoran is an Indian sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres event.
Hiriyur Manjunath Jyothi is an Indian sprinter. She competes in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4×100 metres relay categories. She is a national champion or former national champion in each of the three events, with personal best timings of 11.3, 23.42, and 43.42 seconds in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4×100 metres relay, respectively. Her personal best times in all three events were after her withdrawal from professional competition for three years to become a mother. A Canara Bank employee, Jyothi is married to the former sprinter S. Srinivas, who is also her personal coach.
Anu Raghavan is an Indian sprinter who competes in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles events.
Abderrahman Samba is a Qatari male track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. He was born and grew up in Saudi Arabia but chose to represent Mauritania – his father’s homeland – before eventually switching allegiance to Qatar and moving to Doha in 2015. He became eligible to compete for his adopted country in May 2016. He is the second fastest 400m hurdler ever and the second person to run the 400m hurdle event in less than 47 seconds.
