Gold at 72: Manjamma’s late sprint to glory | Fusion - WeRIndia

Age often defines limits, yet some lives prove that passion can rewrite timelines with courage and discipline.

B Manjamma, a 72-year-old athlete from Shivamogga, has emerged as a powerful symbol of resilience and late-blooming excellence in Indian athletics.

Recently, Manjamma won a gold medal in the 400m race at the 23rd Asian Masters Athletics Championship held in Chennai.

This achievement is remarkable because she began her athletics journey only seven years ago.

Despite this late start, she has already won 110 medals across district, state, national, and international competitions.

Her success strongly supports the belief that talent never expires with age.

Before entering the sports arena, Manjamma devoted 36 years to public service. She retired in 2013 as a lady health visitor and in-charge nursing officer at the district health officer’s office.

However, the same year brought a personal tragedy. Her husband, HT Devaraj, passed away, leaving her emotionally shattered. As a result, she slipped into depression and struggled to regain balance in life.

In 2018, at the age of 65, Manjamma began jogging as a way to heal herself mentally. Gradually, this simple activity turned into a serious athletic pursuit.

Since then, she has participated in numerous district, state, and national events. Moreover, she represented Karnataka in cities such as Nasik, Hyderabad, Goa, Pune, and Kochi, steadily building her reputation.

Her journey soon extended beyond national borders. She competed in international events in Brunei and Sri Lanka.

Additionally, she took part in South Asian and South Indian tournaments held in Mangaluru and Udupi.

Her first major breakthrough came in 2018 when she won first prize in shot put, which encouraged her to continue competing with greater confidence.

Initially, Manjamma participated only in 100m and 200m races. Now, she competes in shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, 60m sprint, and the 1km walk.

Importantly, her daughter Varshini Das, a Bengaluru-based doctor, plays a key role in motivating and supporting her.

Friends and sports associations in Mysuru and Mangaluru also encourage her consistently.

Manjamma firmly believes that sports improve both physical and mental health. She promotes yoga, walking, meditation, and games, especially for the elderly.

Although medals matter, she values discipline and well-being over cash rewards. Finally, she urges youngsters to stay active, avoid junk food, and follow a healthy lifestyle.

According to her, confidence and consistency make nothing impossible.

Image Credit: Mk2010, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:All-weather_running_track.jpg