Tamilarasu and S. Dhanalakshmi lay down markers to make foray into Indian relay teams

With a point to prove and the ambition to be in the mix for India’s 4x100m relay teams, Tamil Nadu sprinters S. Tamilarasu and S. Dhanalakshmi laid down a marker on Wednesday.

Both Tamilarasu (10.22s) and Dhanalakshmi (11.36s) clinched 100m gold medals in the men’s and women’s events, respectively, while recording new personal best (PB) timings on the opening day of the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, one of India’s premier domestic meets, in Chennai.

Dhanalakshmi’s message was clear – the fire still burns.

Three years ago, the sprinter had failed an out-of-competition dope test. She had tested positive for metandienone, an anabolic androgenic steroid. Since she admitted the violation, her ban was reduced to three years.

During this period away from competitions, she faced a lot of backlash. “There was so much negativity and trolls. It took me six months to recover from the trauma. I practised hard to prove these doubters wrong and I’m happy with the result tonight,” said the 27-year-old after the final.

“I didn’t practice for a year after that ban. But I picked myself up and trained for the rest of the two years. I’d like to thank my family, my coach and Latha ma’am (Tamil Nadu Athletics Association’s Secretary). They were the ones who helped me overcome the biggest hurdle of my life,” she added.

The Inter-State meet was Dhanalakshmi’s third competition since her return. Her ban ended on the first day of last month’s Tamil Nadu State Senior Athletics Championships where she announced her comeback by bagging the title. She also stood at the top of the podium at the Indian Open in Sangrur.

After recording the fastest time by an Indian woman in two years, Dhanalakshmi will look to put in another big performance at next month’s National Open Championships which will be the primary trial for India’s 4x100m women’s relay squad.

With regards to the men’s 4x100m relay squad, there is added excitement since a new National Record was set by the Reliance quartet of Animesh Kujur, Gurindervir Singh, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain at the National Open Relay Carnival in April.

S. Tamilarasu (L) wins the men’s 100m race.
| Photo Credit:
R. Ragu/The Hindu

Manikanta and Amlan, both former national record holders in 100m, were amongst Tamilarasu’s opponents in Chennai. But the 23-year-old sprinter from Coimbatore, who had already improved his PB in the semifinals, ended up clocking the joint fourth-fastest time ever by an Indian to clinch the gold.

The performance is surprising considering the fact that Tamilarasu trains with the help of a friend, K. Gowtham, who is not a qualified coach.

“I used to play volleyball before getting into sprinting. Athletics is something which came to me naturally. Today, even before the race started, I had a feeling that I might get the gold. I initially wanted to breach the National Record, but I was only able to set a meet record,” said Tamilarasu.

As per the selection policy of the Athletics Federation of India, mandatory participation at the Inter-State meet was required for selection in the men’s 4x100m relay squad. However, National Record holder Animesh and Gurindervir, India’s second-fastest man, both did not compete in the 100m event and run the risk of disqualification. It also improves Tamilarasu’s chances of making it to the squad for upcoming international events.

Published on Aug 21, 2025