Asian junior medallist Unnathi Aiyappa was barely three when she first saw her mother G Pramila compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A couple of years later, she was again in front of the television cheering her mother as Pramila battled through the heptathlon events at the Guangzhou Asian Games, finally earning a bronze. That was when Unnathi was bitten by the athletics bug.
“From then itself Unnathi told us she wants to become like Mama. Her mother is the biggest inspiration for her,” says her coach and father Sri Aiyappa who also doubles up as her physio. Unnathi, now 18, topped Heat 1 of 200m with 24.4s on the clock on Sunday at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar.
Unnathi, who is aiming to dip below the 24.35 Jr Worlds qualifying mark at the finals, is coming off fresh from the 100m hurdles bronze medal at Dubai’s U 20 Asian Junior Championships held in the last week of April. Her 13.66s effort at hurdles in Dubai was within the qualifying bracket for the upcoming Jr Worlds.
The prodigious teenager, like her mother, tried her hand at heptathlon first but eventually found her calling in hurdles. This is apart from dabbling with swimming, basketball and badminton.
“Hepta was Mama’s event, so I just wanted to try out if I was also good at it. Mama is really strong, so I don’t think I’m as strong as her to train for the heptathlon. Actually, when I was young, they just wanted me to learn how to swim and I used to cry every day. But it’s good because now I can swim. They put me into basketball so that I could grow tall. But then I just wanted to continue with athletics,” says Unnathi, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science.
An easy choice
Hurdles was an easy choice to make, feels father Sri who was also Pramila’s coach. At 18, Unnathi is almost 5’11 and has long levers that help when leaping over hurdles. Her prowess in sprinting also made it to the list of reasons to opt for hurdles. In the long run, coach Sri wants his daughter to switch to the 400m hurdles where he feels Indians have a better chance to do well on the global stage.
“She has long limbs, so, of course, she will have a good stride length. And she has already done 100-metre hurdles, so already she has got speed in her. The only thing she has to develop is endurance. She is multi-talented. If she focuses on 100m she will eventually become a national champion in it but we have to be smart in choosing events. 400m hurdles is an event where PT Usha has set a benchmark and shown that Indians can do well in it,” says father Sri.
Unnathi was earlier training under Sydney Olympic 110m champion coach Arnier Garcia at JSW’s IIS setup but the training routine didn’t suit her. It’s been almost 9 months since she has been training fully under her father with Banglore being her base. “I think Papa knows my body better and is able to bring out the best from me,” she says.
But having her father as a coach has certain drawbacks as well, says the teenager. “It is good that I can share everything about sports with him but sometimes it feels like he is always there. At home, ground. I can’t share things outside sports with him,” says Unnathi in a lighter tone as her father nods his head sideways.
For father Sri, coaching his child is a painstaking task as it takes a toll on him mentally at times. “It is not easy to see your own child suffer at times due to harsh training. But you have to push them. At times she takes me for granted because I am always there. Then I have to deal with the disappointments that I never share with her,” explains Sri.
With her father being the tough taskmaster, and mother Pramila playing the role of the mediator at home, complaints of harsh training by dad are taken to mom. “She is also tired now and says she can’t deal with us (laughs),” says Unnathi.
“At home, my dad is a very cool person. On the ground, he is a very different person, very different. He is very strict,” she adds.
Other results: Finals: Men 400m hurdles: Santosh Kumar T (Tamil Nadu) 50.04 s; Pole vault: Dev Kumar Meena (Madhya Pradesh) 5.10m, Women, 5000m: Lilly Das (West Bengal) 16:31.05 seconds; 400m hurdles: Veerpal Kaur (Punjab) 59.43 seconds; Javelin throw: Rashmi K (Andhra Pradesh) 54.75m; Triple jump: M Anusha (Andhra Pradesh) 13.53m.
