Family comes first for Indian champ

Preeja Sreedharan of India (left) embraces compatriot Kavita Raut after Sreedharan won gold and Raut won silver in the women's 10,000m final in the athletics competition at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou on Sunday. Peter Parks / Agence France-Presse

GUANGZHOU - Having pulled off a shock victory in the women's 10,000 meters at the Guangzhou Asiad on Sunday, India's Preeja Sreedharan now wants to surprise her family by improving their lifestyle at home.

"I'm very proud and very happy to win the gold," said the 28-year-old Sreedharan. "I hope this can lead to improving the living conditions of my family."

Sreedharan hails from a poor family in the village of Mullakkanam in Kerala, southwest India.

Her father died when she was young and her older brother had to stop his studies to go to work to support the family.

Her sporting prowess has also helped the family since she took up competitive running at the age of 13.

At the Chennai Marathon in 2008, Sreedharan won the half marathon and got about one million Indian rupees ($22,028) in prize money. It was described by her as "the most precious hour in my life".

According to Indian reporters, Sreedharan could get about $125,000 for her victory at the Asian Games.

She currently works as a clerk to support her running career.

She has been training with Nikolai Snesarev of Belarus for about one year.

On Sunday, Sreedharan won the gold medal in 31 minutes, 50.47 seconds, a personal best. She was followed to the line by compatriot Kavita Raut in 31:51.44.

The Indian runners beat favorite Shitaya Eshete Habtegebrel of Bahrain, who finished third.

Sreedharan said her victory stunned her as Raut, who won bronze in the 10,000m race at this year's Commonwealth Games, was considered the team's main gold medal contender.

"It's magic," Sreedharan said after the race. "It is my dream come true."

Before Guangzhou, Sreedharan had already made mark on the international stage.

At the 2007 Asian Championships, she won three gold medals in the 1,600m, 10,000m and 5,000m races.

Her first two gold medals were won in under three hours on the opening day - an incredible performance by a middle and long-distance runner.

It marked a turnaround in her form as she finished fifth in the 5,000m and 10,000m races at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

Due to those achievements, she was selected to the Indian national team for the Olympic Games in 2008.

In Beijing, she competed in the women's 10,000m and finished 25th in the final.

China Daily