JOIN USIndia, nay Asia's sole triathlon athlete
In a country where woman athletes are hardly in news for their outstanding achievements on the world stage, Anuradha Vaidyanathan’s dogged persistence has made her the sole Triathlon athlete in not just India but the whole of Asia. Anuradha, popularly called Anu, is an example of how one needs to be focused towards one’s goal irrespective of circumstances. Metrolife spoke to the ‘Ironman athlete’ when she was in the City to participate in the recent Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.
“It is not my job to answer questions on the state of sports infrastructure in the country.
Everybody asks me ‘how can the state of sports improve?’ If the government supports it, it is very good but for me, it is very important to remained focused on myself,” says Anu, whose target has always been to just think about her goal.
“If I sit around and wait for people to help me then it will sound like an oxymoron! You have to get trained in whatever circumstances you are in. It doesn’t matter which sport you are into, for anything outside of cricket and badminton doesn’t get spoken about.”
The triathlon is one of the toughest sports which includes three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running – consisting of a 3.8 km swim, 180km cycle followed by a full marathon of 42 km – all done without a break between them!
This triathlon athlete admits her training hasn’t been any easier. “The initial three years of my training were extremely difficult. On my part I was out at 3 am to run in extremely warm clothes. It can be very tough because if you are doing it for big brands, then it is a different sport altogether. The lack of bicycle tracks here and swimming pools add to the difficulty. Also, there isn’t any sports therapy available in India till date which is extremely crucial in an endurance sport like triathlon.”
But why choose such a difficult sport? “Because it is tough,” says Anu matter-of-factly and is grateful for getting a wonderfully supportive life partner. “Top women athletes in India have shared with me that if your partner is not supportive then you are dead as a sportsperson! I have been lucky for my husband is a major support in my continuing with training.”
But it isn’t only the triathlon which Anu is accomplished in. She is also a PhD in Electrical Engineering.
So is it that the society has accepted her continuance in sports because she has taken care of her academics? “I am not sure. Getting a PhD was part of my academics but I can’t say if the society has accepted my sports because of my performance in academics.
It is also uncertain if my sport helped my academics or vice-versa. I feel that you can’t find success in everything you do at every point of your life. Being a sportsperson, I have also faced insecurities of not living a normal life but that is how I chose it to be.”
What keeps her going through tough times? “I never stop believing and I don’t give up.”