Expressing happiness at the recommendation for the coveted Arjuna Award, <g data-gr-id="39">ace</g> <g data-gr-id="25">quartermiler</g> M R Poovamma on Tuesday described it as a “dream come true”.
“I am not being able to describe how happy I am right now. Every athlete wants to get awards and recognition from the government. It is a dream come true for me. It is my best moment in life,” Poovamma told PTI from NIS Patiala, where she is currently undergoing training.
25-year-old Poovamma, one of the 17 athletes recommended for Arjuna Awards on Tuesday by a selection panel appointed by the Sports Ministry, won a bronze in the individual women’s 400m race and a gold in the 4x400m relay race in the Incheon Asian Games last year.
Poovamma, born at a small town in Kodagu district of Karnataka, also clinched a silver in <g data-gr-id="27">400m</g> race in the Asian Championships at Wuhan, China in June.
“This was my first nomination by Athletics Federation of India and I am going to get the coveted award in my first attempt. This is my first award from the government in recognition of my achievements,” she said.“I was expecting I could get the award and it came true.Now, I can proudly say that I am an Arjuna Awardee. This is a big achievement,” she added. She said the honour will push her to do better and put more responsibility on her shoulders. “I know winning the award means I now have more responsibility than before to do better and I would gladly accept it. My short term target for now is to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympic Games,” said the lanky runner.