Gomathi Marimuthu, who made India proud with her gold medal in the 800 meters running at the Asian Athletics Championships, hails from a small village from Trichy.

Now many are showering praises on her, who comes from a poor agriculture family, for her grit and hard work that helped her achieve the medal. Robo Shankar, a popular comedian from Tamil cinema not only did praise her but also came forward to give her one lakh rupees for the feat.

Robo Shankar said that since he comes from economically weak family background, he can understand her plight, and said that to clinch the gold and achieve this honour, the girl has worked really hard. Gomathi, in spite of losing her father, did not lose her confidence and has worked hard to reach this far in her athletic career.

Gomathi Marimuthu, the 30-year-old middle distance runner, started participating in professional running competitions when she was 20. She is the youngest of four children. She did her graduation in Holy Cross College in Trichy before moving out of the city.