BENGALURU: 16 years ago, a five-year-old Unnathi Aiyappa watched her mother Pramila return from the Asian Games with a bronze medal. Next month, when Unnathi steps onto the continental stage in Japan for her Asian Games debut, she will carry not just her mother’s legacy but a simple ambition — to go one better.Unnathi, who came into the limelight erasing PT Usha’s name from the record books in girls’ 60m hurdles, grew in stature over the years and has now qualified to make her debut on Asia’s biggest sporting stage in Nagoya City.“I’m actually pretty excited and I’m expecting a lot,” Unnathi told TOI.“Me getting recognised as Pramila’s daughter was really wonderful. I’m getting inspiration from my mom, who’s been telling me how she used to train back then and how strong she was. She had this tiger mindset. So, whenever she got on track, she had this feeling that she was the strongest of them all. She just wanted to be No. 1, and she keeps telling me that I should have the same mindset, too,” said Unnathi, who had studied in Baldwins till class 9.She is candid enough to admit that she doesn’t quite have her mom’s mindset but would certainly like to acquire it.“I always wanted to be like my mom, because she’s my first role model, first inspiration. So, I always told myself that I’d do better than her. If she won a medal at Asians, I’ll get two,” the 21-year-old, who completed her 10th and 12th via open schooling before completing her graduation from Reva College in journalism, said.
‘Good chance in relay’
Unnathi, who is expected to compete in women’s 200m and the 4x100m mixed relay, said she fancied her chances in both the events.“We have a good chance in the relay with Animesh, Guri Bhaiya (Gurindervir), Pranav and Harita in the mix. In 200m, I’m trying to dip under 23 seconds and I know I can do that. When I ran 23.4s (PB) at the Inter-state meet in June, I was not fully fit. There, my first 150m was good and then I lost the gold in the last 50m. So, if I focus on the last 50m and on endurance, I can go under 23 seconds,” said Unnathi, who is training under Martin Owens.Asked about her dad Aiyappa’s influence, Unnathi said: “He is my first coach. He is the one who shaped me into who I’m today.”Speaking about her daughter, Pramila said: “When she was eight years old, she started coming to the stadium for training. I want her to do better than me and she’s capable.”Aiyappa, who has already booked his tickets to travel to Japan to watch Unnathi in action, has high hopes for the relay squad.“The quartet of Harita, Animesh, Gurindervir and Unnathi has already set a national record. If they can perfect the baton exchange then they have a real chance,” Aiyappa observed.After grooming Unnathi, Aiyappa is now focusing on younger daughter Liya, who has also taken to athletics full time.
