In a cricket-obsessed nation, the early 1980s always rings a bell as the decade India triumphed at the World Cup, with Captain Kapil Dev bringing home that grand trophy in 1983. While that magnificent win brought us great honor internationally, it was the year 1984 that changed India’s perceptions of sports and more importantly, its athletes.
In the August of 1984, a frisson of excitement slowly made its way across the nation – India was making waves at the Olympics and what’s more, in a little-known sport such as ‘track and field’. What had caused the nation to sit up and take notice of a sport that had rarely received much recognition before? Undoubtedly, our rising wins in the category but more importantly the contingent that marked India out at the 1984 Olympics. For what seemed like the first time in our decorated sport’s history, the names and pictures of Indian women, not men, were leaping off our newspapers and TV channels. The names P.T. Usha, Vandana Rao, Shiny Wilson, M.D. Valsamma – became a household name when India finally began to appreciate its female athletic talent.
As we step into a new albeit changed decade, with a new set of both challenges and opportunities for women, we travel down memory lane with Vandana Rao, a champion of that momentous occasion in 1984. A glimpse into her journey 36 years ago, Vandana tells us her unique story and what it took to become among the nation’s first female icons in sports history.
Vandana began training vigorously, rising up the ranks to become Karnataka’s and then among the nation’s best track and field athletes. She recounts her time joining the national-level training camps, encountering other national champions, and training for hours, day and night. “It was a hectic schedule,” she said, “we would train for several hours every morning and evening, but at that time, we just enjoyed it”
And she wasn’t alone, her peers P.T. Usha, Shiny Wilson, M.D. Valsamma trained with her, all of whom became shining stars in their own right and later the ‘1984 quartet’ to make history.
On 10th August 1984, Vandana and her peers entered the Women’s 4x400m relay heats, at the Olympics held in Los Angeles. On 11th August 1984, these unique women set an Asian record of 3:32.49 seconds after they finished last among the seven teams in the final, the only team to make it to the summit round in the 4x400m relay, a landmark in Indian sports.
Vandana kept going – qualifying at 7th place at the 1987 Athletics World Championships and then again at 7th place at the 1988 Olympic Games. Her accolades led to her receiving the Arjuna Award for outstanding achievements in sports and the Karnataka Rajyosava Award in 1984.
Today, 36 years later, Vandana leads a simple life in Mumbai, married to hockey Olympian Joaquim Carvalho, while working as a Tour Manager for SOTC. A severe knee injury prevents her from engaging in any major physical activity though she still enjoys her regular walks.
Picture Credits– https://www.thehindu.com/
