PONDA: She sprinted India to a gold medal in Asian Games, but unfortunately her journey didn’t last long. Goa’s own sprint queen Pratima Gaonkar ran and shone from village level to international level making India proud. But her family, in her absence, is still eagerly waiting for the government to fulfil its promise - a house for her family and a job for her brother.
After Pratima’s untimely death 22 years ago, the family is still hopeful, and is gazing at the medals she won during her golden era.
Pratima not only represented India in 9th Asian Games held at Brunei in 2001, but created history by winning gold and bronze medals. Termed as the Sprint Queen of Goa, Pratima was also called India’s second P T Usha. She won many medals in various State-level events. However, she committed suicide on October 9, 2001 for some personal reason. The country lost a talented athlete.
Pratima studied from Class V to X in Immaculate High School at Kalsai-Dabhal. Her then PE teacher Francis Fernandes groomed her, and his guidance Pratima won many prizes while representing her school. She moved to Mapusa for higher studies. But destiny had not written the next chapters of her life. People who knew her claimed that, had she been alive, Pratima would have won many more medals.
The then Union Minister for Sports Uma Bharti had announced a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh to Pratima. She had also declared to send Pratima to Bengaluru for advanced training. But the sports fraternity was in shock after her tragic death. The then Goa government had announced a government job for her brother Shivanand Gaonkar. Government had also promised to build a house for her family. However, the assurances have dissipated in the air. Her brother still has hopes of getting a job.
Speaking to O Heraldo Shivanand said, “I was a child at the time of my sister’s heartbreaking death. Since I was assured a job after completing my education, I studied ITI and sought to meet the officials at SAG. However, my requests were either ignored or fell on deaf ears. Pratima made the country proud by winning medals. The government shouldn’t cheat my family members in such a manner.”
Francis Fernandes, Pratima’s High School PE teacher, said she made her school proud. During her tenure, prizes just poured.
“Our country won medals because of Pratima. If she had not committed suicide, she would have definitely made golden mark on Indian athletics. Her death shattered the dreams of many countrymen,” said Fernandes.