Coimbatore: A city schoolgirl has set a new record in 100-metre race at the recently held state-level school sports competition in Erode, by finishing the race in 11.95 seconds, beating the previous record of 12.40 seconds.A K Thiya, who set the record, is a Class XII student of a private school at Ganapathy. She also won the gold medal in the 200-metre race. She had in the past won silver medals in the 100m and 200m races at the national-level competition.
Thiya said she started focusing on sports, especially the 100m and 200m races, when she was in Class V. “In the initial stages, I went through many failures. I accepted those failures, while determining to perform better next time. It’s consistency and confidence that make all the difference and lead us to success,” she said.
Thiya is also a bright student with an academic score of 95%. Speaking to TOI, Thiya’s mother said they were spending at least Rs4 lakh per year on her daughter’s diet, sports materials and travel expenses. “While it’s a huge financial burden on us, what matters at the end of the day is seeing our daughter shining in her field.”
Thiya said her next target was to represent India in the 2028 Olympics and bag the gold medal. “I am preparing myself for this big moment in my life.”
