https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=M._D._ValsammaM. D. Valsamma - Revision history2026-08-01T00:45:01ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=M._D._Valsamma&diff=422891&oldid=prevAjay Kumar at 03:40, 30 August 20232023-08-30T03:40:41Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Indian hurdler}}<br />
{{morefootnotes|date=July 2019}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}<br />
{{Infobox sportsperson<br />
|name=M. D. Valsamma<br />
|full_name= Manathoor Devasia Valsamma<br />
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|df=yes|1960|10|21}}<br />
|birth_place= Ottathai, [[Kannur district|Kannur]], [[Kerala]], India<br />
|death_date=<br />
|death_place=<br />
|nationality= [[India]]n<br />
|country= India<br />
|sport= [[Track and field]]<br />
|event= [[400 metres hurdles]]<br />
|pb= '''100 m hurdles''': 14.02 ([[Jakarta]] 1985)<br/>'''400 m hurdles''': 57.81 (1985)<br />
|show-medals=yes<br />
|medaltemplates={{Medal|Sport|Women's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}<br />
{{Medal|Country|{{IND}}}}<br />
{{Medal|Competition|[[Asian Games]]}}<br />
{{Medal|Gold |[[1982 Asian Games|1982 New Delhi]]|400 m hurdles}}<br />
{{Medal|Gold |[[1986 Asian Games|1986 Seoul]]|4x400 m relay}}<br />
{{Medal|Silver|1982 New Delhi| 4x400 m relay}}<br />
{{Medal|Competition|[[Asian Athletics Championships]]}}<br />
{{Medal|Silver|[[1985 Asian Athletics Championships|1985 Jakarta]]|400 m hurdles}}<br />
{{Medal|Gold|1985 Jakarta| 4x400 m relay}}<br />
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1981 Asian Athletics Championships|1981 Tokyo]]|4x400 m relay}}<br />
{{Medal|Competition|[[South Asian Games]]}}<br />
{{Medal|Gold|1989 Islamabad|4x400 m relay}}<br />
{{Medal|Silver|1989 Islamabad|400 m hurdles}}<br />
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1989 South Asian Games|1989 Islamabad]]|100 m}}<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Manathoor Devasia Valsamma''' (born 21 October 1960) 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 [[1982 Asian Games|Indian soil]].<br />
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==Early life==<br />
Valsamma was born on 21 October 1960 in Ottathai, [[Kannur district]] of [[Kerala]]. She started her athletics career during school days though she only took it more seriously when she moved to Mercy College,<ref>[http://www.mercycollege.edu.in/ Mercy College, Palakkad]</ref> [[Palakkad]], for further studies. Her first medal was for [[Kerala]] in the [[100 metres hurdles]] and [[pentathlon]] in the Inter-University Championship at Pune in 1979.<br />
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She was enrolled in Southern Railway (India) and was coached by A. K. Kutty. She created a great impression at the Inter-State Meet at [[Bangalore]] in 1981 by winning five gold medals, the hurdles over 100 and 400 metres in addition to the [[400 metres]] flat and the [[4 x 400 metres relay|400 m]] and [[4 x 100 metres relay|100 m]] relays. That performance catapulted her into the Railway and national teams and in 1982 she became the national champion over 400-metre hurdles with a new record, which was also better than the Asian record.<br />
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==Professional athletics career==<br />
Valsamma won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles in an Indian and Asian record time of 58.47 seconds in front of a home crowd at the [[Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi|Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium]] in the [[1982 Asian Games]]. This made her the second woman athlete to win an Asian Games gold for India, after [[Kamaljit Sandhu]] (400 metres-[[1974 Asian Games|1974]]). She later figured in a silver medal-winning 4 X 400 metres relay team. Govt. of India conferred her the [[Arjuna Award]] in 1982 and the [[Padma Shri]] in 1983 and the G. V. Raja cash award from [[Kerala]] Government.<br />
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For the first time in the history, the Indian women team entered the finals in the [[1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles Olympics]], 1984 and finished in the seventh position. Valsamma began concentrating more on 100 m hurdles. She won a gold in the 100 m hurdles and created a National record in the first National Games in 1985.<br />
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Valsamma also appeared in the Spartakiad 1983 in [[Moscow]], the [[South Asian Games|South Asian Federation]] (SAF) Games in [[South Asian Games#4TH SAF GAMES - 1989 ISLAMABAD .28PAKISTAN.29|Islamabad]] fetched her bronze in the 100 metres, a Silver in the quarter-mile and the Gold m the 4 x 400 metres relay.<br />
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In a career spanning nearly 15 years, M.D. Valsamma took part in [[IAAF World Cup in Athletics|World Cup]] meets in [[Havana]], [[Tokyo]], [[London]], the Asian Games editions of 1982, 86, 90 and 94 and in all the Asian Track & Field meets and SAF Games, leaving her mark in each and every competition.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070325063904/http://sportal.nic.in/legenddetails.asp?sno=601&moduleid=&maincatid=5&subid=0&comid=55 Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Portal]<br />
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==External links==<br />
* {{sports links}}<br />
* {{sports-reference}}<br />
<br />
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Sports}}<br />
{{Footer Asian Games Champions 400 metres hurdles Women}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Valsamma, M. D.}}<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:1960 births]]<br />
[[Category:Sportswomen from Kerala]]<br />
[[Category:Indian female sprinters]]<br />
[[Category:Indian female hurdlers]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian women]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian people]]<br />
[[Category:Olympic athletes for India]]<br />
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]<br />
[[Category:Asian Games gold medalists for India]]<br />
[[Category:Asian Games silver medalists for India]]<br />
[[Category:Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field)]]<br />
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Asian Games]]<br />
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Asian Games]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Arjuna Award]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports]]<br />
[[Category:Malayali people]]<br />
[[Category:People from Kannur district]]<br />
[[Category:Medalists at the 1982 Asian Games]]<br />
[[Category:Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games]]<br />
[[Category:Athletes from Kerala]]<br />
[[Category:South Asian Games gold medalists for India]]<br />
[[Category:South Asian Games silver medalists for India]]<br />
[[Category:South Asian Games bronze medalists for India]]<br />
[[Category:South Asian Games medalists in athletics]]</div>Ajay Kumar