Paris Olympics: 'Golden Girl' speeding up

The 33rd edition of the Summer Olympics Paris 2024 is starting from July 11 in France. Nepal is participating 7 players in 6 matches. Among them, Santoshi has been enjoying athletics. She will compete in the women's marathon. 95 female runners in the world are running in the marathon.

After 28 years, Nepal is going to send athletes to the women's marathon of the Olympics. The last time Nepal's Vimala Ranamar participated in the women's marathon at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. When the women's marathon debuted at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, Nepal participated in two athletes in the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Rajkumari Pandey and Menuka Raut competed in the marathon. Since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Nepal has been participating in women's short and middle distance events in athletics.

Santoshi is planning to revive the Olympic history of Nepali women's marathon. Vimala was just 3 years old when she ran in Atlanta. Amidst that dark history, she is now running a marathon in Paris at the age of 31.

It's not long since he started running marathons. Santoshi has run a full marathon (42.195 km) only last year through middle distance, half marathon. However, she won gold in her debut. It was the Bangabandhu Dhaka Marathon. She also set a national record when she won gold in that marathon in January. She completed the race in 2 hours 46 minutes 23 seconds.

President Ramchandra Paudel with Sports Minister Tejulal Choudhary, who will go to the Paris Olympics after saying goodbye on Friday. Among the seven athletes going to Paris, from left are Sushmita Nepal of shooting, Manita Shrestha of judo, Prince Dahal of badminton and Santoshi Shrestha of athletics. Three other players are training abroad.

Now Santoshi is about to break her own national record in Paris. He also has the willpower to run at a much earlier timing. She expressed determination, "Olympics is a challenge as well as an opportunity for me." The national record is in my own name, I will break it. Still determined to complete the race with a timing of 2 hours and 40 minutes. However, I am a little afraid that the weather and route of that day may not be unfavorable. Unlike other events, it has a lot to do with the marathon. Otherwise, looking at my preparation, I have the will that I can get that timing.'

She is training according to the training plan of her experienced guru Raghuraj Vant. Chait ran domestic half-marathon, 10 km, but since then she stopped playing and concentrated on training. After training two days a week at Dasharath Stadium, Santoshi goes to Tokha, Shivpuri, Budhanilkanth and sometimes even Bhaktapur on other days.

'Since the marathon race is on the road, I am running all over the off-road, pitch road and soft road to prepare myself accordingly,' said Santoshi about the preparations. As his event is only the last day, there is still time to prepare. She will go to Paris only on July 30. He will get more than a week to soak in the atmosphere there.

Santoshi is a runner suffering from a metatarsal bone injury. How is the injury now? His answer was, 'Not free from that. However, I am training consciously. I have done therapy, gym, massage. I am training with carbon tape on my shoes no matter what the cost. It's getting easier.

Golden Medal Tour

Santoshi was born in Jamalukhi Rural Municipality-6 Sunkhani of Dhading. Now she lives in Budhanilkanth, Kathmandu. Santoshi, who passed her SLC from Geetamata Umavi, Vijeshwari, Kathmandu, has done her MPA (Master of Public Administration) from Tribhuvan University. She has also done Post Graduate Diploma in Diet and Public Health.

She is one of those athletes who continue with studies and sports. She understands that if both can be taken together, the future will be better. Santoshi is the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) gold-winning athlete. She achieved this success in the 10,000 meters race. Her medal in Saag was the first international gold won by a female athlete in Nepali athletics.

She hasn't looked back since. She has won gold medals in all the competitions she has participated in. More than 40 golds have hung around her neck. She won those medals in 5 km, 10 km and half marathon.

He also has experience in international competitions including the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games held in China last year, Vanloop Half Marathon Netherlands, Padworn 10K Germany, Istanbul Half Marathon Turkey.

She used to participate in races even when she was studying in class 6-7. Before playing the 13th Saag, Santoshi had won more than 70 three medals (gold, silver and bronze) in competitions like National Games, National Championships and Track and Road Races.

In the early days he knew nothing about the technical aspects of racing. However, she continued to participate in local running competitions and was successful. Running was just a hobby for Santoshi until she graduated with a degree in public health. To fulfill that hobby, she won bronze in the 10,000 meters event when she ran for the first time in the 40th National Athletics Championship in 2071. "It was a great opportunity for me to run for the first time with Kanchimaya (Koju), Vishwaroopa (elder) sisters," she recalled on the first day, "and winning a medal in the first participation made me realize that I can do something now." That competition became her turning point. .

She caught the eye of athletics gurus. Although not knowledgeable about the technical aspects of running, the coach saw the qualities that should be in the players. Raghuraj Guru recognized Santoshi's potential. Santoshi narrates that Guru himself called him for training. Since then Santoshi has been climbing the ladder of success under the guidance of her guru.

interesting marathon route

The marathon route is designed to take in the beautiful scenery of the French capital city and visit many famous monuments. Starting from the Paris City Hall (Hotel de Ville) and ending at Les Invalides, players will face a 438m up-and-down. The course will take in the backdrop of many Olympic venues and world famous monuments such as the Louvre Pyramid, Grand Palace, Eiffel Tower.

Two-time Olympic champion and world record runner Eliud Kipchoge says something special will happen at the Paris Olympic Marathon. He analyzes that the course is designed through a place steeped in history and symbolism, making it a unique experience.

Designed specifically for Paris 2024, the course has been approved by World Athletics as 'unique, demanding and technical'.

Another feature of the women's marathon this time is that it will be held on the last day of the Olympics. This is the first time that such an event is happening in the four-decade long Olympic history of the women's marathon. Otherwise it was always the last day of the men's marathon. This year, the men's marathon can be given one day earlier.

The President of the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet, has said that he wants to end athletics by making the women's marathon the main attraction, with great respect for gender equality. Nepali runner Santoshi will also be interviewed on this occasion. She says, 'It is my misfortune to witness that special atmosphere.'