Gayathri Govindaraj
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Gayathry Govindharaj (born 27 April 1991) is an Indian athlete who competes in the 100 metres hurdles and triple jump events. She was supported by Olympic Gold Quest, a not-for-profit foundation that identifies and supports Indian athletes.[1] She works with the Indian Income Tax department. She was roughed up DMK cadres and her vehicle was damaged when raiding the premises of alleged DMK partymen.[citation needed] She was later admitted in a hospital for wounds. She is famously called as "Indian Usain Bolt".
Gayathry comes from a small village in Ariyalur district. She comes from a humble background and before she gained fame, her family found it difficult to make ends meet. Due to her economic background her parents could not afford to provide her a formal training hence was trained at St. Joseph's Sports Academy (sponsored by St. Joseph's College of Engineering, Chennai) and she says in an interview with The Indian Express, "My parents recollect that I used to run around a lot during my childhood. In school, I used to participate in every athletic event in every tournament."[2]
She completed her schooling from St. Ursula's A.I.Hr.Sec School, Church Park, Chennai, in 2008. After securing 91 per cent in her twelfth standard, She went to pursue her master's degree in business administration from St. Joseph's College of Engineering,[2] where she secured 33rd Rank in Anna University among 8599 qualified candidates. Her mother's dream of pursuing PhD came true, when she was awarded a PhD (business administration – commerce) by the University of Madras in 2022, for her interdisciplinary thesis on Effectiveness of Training.