Dharun Ayyasamy (born 31 December 1996) is an Indian track athlete who specializes in 400 m and 400 m hurdles events. He is the first and only Indian to run below 49sec (48.80sec) in 400 m hurdles. Dharun represented India in the men's 4×400 m relay event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Early life
Dharun was born on 31 December 1996 in Ravuthampalayam village in Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu.[1] When he was in fourth grade, his father died of tuberculosis. Dharun's mother was a school teacher while his sister Sathya played volleyball for Tamil Nadu.[2][3]
Dharun completed his schooling at The Century Foundation School in Tiruppur. He represented Tamil Nadu at kho kho before switching to athletics in tenth grade.[2][4] He did his Bachelor of Arts degree at Alva's College of Arts in Moodabidri, Karnataka.[5]
Career
Dharun won the 400 metres hurdles gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games with a time of 50.54 seconds, finishing 0.03 seconds ahead of fellow Indian Jithin Paul whom he overtook at the last hurdle.[6]
In July 2016, Dharun was part of the relay team that broke the national 4 × 400 m relay record at Bengaluru and qualified for the Olympics. The quartet of Dharun, Mohammad Anas, Kunhu Muhammed and Arokia Rajiv clocked 3:00:91, rewriting the national record of 3:02.17 set by themselves four weeks earlier in Turkey. The performance helped the relay team jump to 13th place in the world rankings.[7] It was the third time a men's relay team from India qualified for the Olympics, after 1964 and 2000.
In August 2018, Dharun won the 400 m hurdles silver medal at the Asian Games with a timing of 48.96 seconds setting a new national record.[8][9]
At the 2019 Federation Cup, Dharun broke his own national record for the third time in 400 m hurdles by clocking 48.80 seconds.
References
- ↑ Exporters' assn gives 1 lakh to Olympian. The Times of India(23 July 2016).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 From Tamil Nadu bylanes to Rio track. The Times of India(14 July 2016).
- ↑ Ayyasamy Dharun Profile: 4x400m Relay. The Indian Express(1 August 2016).
- ↑ Run that has changed quarter-miler Dharun's world. The New Indian Express(12 July 2016).
- ↑ Youth from Avinashi qualifies for Olympics. The Hindu(23 July 2016).
- ↑ South Asian Games: India Win 11 Out of 12 Medals in Athletics. NDTV(11 February 2016).
- ↑ India's 4x400m relay teams qualify for Rio Olympics. Rediff(10 July 2016).
- ↑ Asian Games 2018: Dharun Ayyasamy wins Silver medal in Men's 400m Hurdles, sets new National Record.
- ↑ Asian Games 2018 Day 9, LIVE: Dharun Ayyasamy wins silver medal in 400m hurdles | Latest News & Updates at DNAIndia.com. dna(2018-08-27). Retrieved 2018-08-27.
External links
- Template:Sports links
- Template:SR/Olympics profile
- Ayyasamy Dharun at Rio2016.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.