HIGHLIGHTS-
- The 64-year-old Bhavani bags 3 medals at the Athletic Championship in Sri Lanka.
- Bhavani has earned almost 200 medals in field and track competitions so far.
- Bhavani is also a national-level swimmer who has won various medals.
Age is just a number! The 64-year-old sportswoman, Bhavani subtly justifies the statement! Bhavani is a nurse by profession, along with being an accomplished athlete. She recently competed in the 35th Annual Masters (Open) Athletic Championship in Sri Lanka, winning three gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.
Journey of Bhavani
Bhavani has earned almost 200 medals in field and track competitions so far. However, her journey was not easy. Despite her love in athletics since childhood, she was unable to pursue it as a career. “My mother worked as a health department midwife. She was concerned about my education and thus, prevented me from pursuing a sporting career. Due to the restrictions at home, Bhavani never got a chance to make it up in athletics. It was only after she got married that Bhavani started participating in sporting events.
“Supportive family led me accomplish my dream”
“In 1982, I started working as a nurse at KR Hospital in Mysuru. I married a year later and gave birth to a baby girl two years later. I began participating in my department’s annual sports day events after my child was born. “My husband and sisters-in-law backed me up with everything,” says Bhavani.
Bhavani entered the Open Masters after 1998 and has won over 100 gold and 70 silver medals to date. Bhavani retired as a nurse superintendent from Mangaluru’s Government Lady Goschen Hospital in 2017.
Multi-talented
Bhavani is a talented Yakshagana artist. In 1996, she performed at the state-level Nurses’ Conference. Along with this, Bhavani is also a national-level swimmer and has won various medals. She learned to swim with her daughter, who was in Class 7, when she was 40 years old. She was nominated for a national event just four months after learning to swim and won three gold medals in the over 40 year category.
