In a department that is known to be laid back, two employees from the Telangana RTC, Syed Muzamil Medhi (49) a mechanic, and Jaya Ratnaveni (59), traffic superintendent at the Ranigunj depot, have defied all odds and struck gold at the prestigious Masters Open Athletics Championships 2018 in Indonesia recently.
Muzamil Medhi, who bagged the gold in shot-put throw and hammer throw, and the bronze in javelin throw, works as a workshop mechanic in the Dulshuknagar Depot.
“I have been working for the Road Transport Corporation since the last 30 years and since then I have participated in various tournaments within and outside the state, and have won several medals. Nothing can be a bigger motivation in life than representing the country and winning medals,” the 49-year-old exults.
Apparently, Mehdi also brought home a bronze in the shot-put category at last year’s International Open Masters Athletics Championship in Malaysia. “I had developed a fascination for games like discus, throw ball and shot-put since childhood. I used to practise the sport whenever I got time, and even today I practice for a couple of hours in the morning at the Malakpet ground. Despite my financial constraints, my passion to win medals at international events drives me.”
For 58-year-old Jaya Ratnaveni, age just seems to be a number! She won the gold in discus throw and a silver in shot-put. Interestingly, she had also won gold and silver in the same categories at last year’s championship in Malaysia.
“My family’s support has been one of the driving factors for me. Sometimes it is difficult to strike a balance, and you need to sacrifice personal interests for sports and vice versa. So, prioritising has been the key to my success. If you can get that right, I think things fall in place automatically,” explains Jaya.
This is the first time that the state RTC has won as many as 12 medals in a major international tournament. “I feel thrilled at the opportunity itself to be able to represent the country, and I am pleased that I have made the department and country proud. I think our win has just proved that age has nothing to do with opportunities, and it’s all in the mindset,” she says.
Next, these athletes will soon start preparing for the International Masters Athletics Championship that will be held in Sri Lanka in February 2019.
