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Moumita Mandal is confident of making a mark at the National Games in Goa after being adjudged the 'Best Athlete' at the National U23 Athletics Championships which concluded last week in Chandigarh. The tournament gave her confidence and motivation after a difficult start to the year.
For Moumita, her recent performances have come as a big boost. The first half of 2023 had been challenging for her. A Railways employee, Moumita was struggling to find adequate time to train. With very little training, her performance suffered. She then put all her energies into putting in the hard yards extensively at Reliance Foundation's training facility and getting into the best shape possible in the months leading up to the National U23 Athletics Championships. Her displays at the tournament pleasantly surprised her too. Moumita won gold in the women's 100m hurdles event and bronze in the long jump event. "I worked very hard and put in a lot of effort in training. As a result, I achieved my personal best and also set a new meet record in the 100m hurdles," Moumita said. Her twin medals saw her win the "Best Athlete' award at the National U23 Athletics Championships. "This was the first time ever that I won Gold at the national level, so it was an incredible feeling. Getting the Best Athlete award at the Championships made it even more special. I have come second and third many times and missed out by narrow margins, so to finally finish first was a big relief," she said. With her not having won any medals in the first half of 2023, Moumita also faced pressure from her parents, who were worried about her displays. The long elusive Gold helped her win their appreciation too. "My parents were also happy. They used to chide me for never winning Gold. They were also a little worried about my results because I wasn't performing up to my expectations. They were elated when I finally finished on top of the podium," she said with a smile. Moumita trains with fellow athletes Jyothi Yarraji, Amlan Borgohain and Tejas Shirse and draws a lot of inspiration from them. "I used to always look up to Jyothi didi. Now I get to train with her and that inspires me a lot. I'm getting to learn a lot from her as well as the other seniors. I have seen the kind of focus they have even when it's just a training session. I also observe how they spend their time away from the track and live a disciplined life," Moumita added. She also acknowledged the role that Reliance Foundation and James Hillier, Athletics Director, Reliance Foundation, have played in shaping her personality as well as her overall growth since becoming a part of the Foundation in 2021. "In two years with coach, I have improved by leaps and bounds. I have bettered my personal best significantly. My confidence and belief in myself have improved significantly. Earlier, I barely spoke in English. Now I feel like I can communicate well in English too," she said, according to a release. With a few significant firsts in her kitty, Moumita wants to end the season well with another solid display at the National Games. "It is the final competition of the season, so it is very important. I want to improve my personal best. The training has been really good, so I'm looking forward to the competition now," she said. (ANI)
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