City girl wins silver at national inter-school athletics championship

Coimbatore: A Class XII student of CMS School won a silver medal in the 200 metres race at the National Inter-School Athletics Championship that was recently organized by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) in Bihar.
Dhiya A K won the silver by finishing the 200m race in 25 seconds. She was among the three students from Tamil Nadu who qualified for the track games, including both 100 metres and 200 metres race, and athletics.
The SGFI meet was conducted from April 6 to 9. Dhiya was the only student from Coimbatore to win a medal at the national championship. Dhiya has been into athletics since Class IV. However, this was her first national event.
Her mother L Kalpana said, “Her practice sessions are becoming tougher, as she aims for an international platform. On the other hand, she never compromises on her academics. Her strategy to balance both sports and education is something we as parents admire.”
Her father N Arumugam, a policeman, said, “While I had the thirst for such achievements during my childhood, I couldn’t accomplish it due to financial constraints. So, I’ve always wanted my daughter to fulfil her dreams and never regret anything like I do. The moment she won this medal, I felt as though my dreams were coming true.”
Dhiya now aims to put up a record-breaking performance by finishing the 100 metres race in 11.5 seconds or less in the under-18 category and qualify for the Olympics.