Ashwini Chidananda Shetty Akkunji (born 7 October 1987) is an Indian sprint athlete from Siddapura, Udupi who specializes in 400 metres.[1] Ashwini has won gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2010 Asian Games in 4x400 m relay team event with Manjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose[2] and an individual gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles on 25 November 2010 at the 2010 Asian Games held at Guangzhou, in China.[3] She is also a recipient of the Rajyotsava Prashasti (2010), a civilian honour awarded by the Indian State Government of Karnataka[4][5]
 Ashwini in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ashwini Chidananda Shetty Akkunji |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | 7 October 1987 Siddapura, Udupi, India |
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Sport | |
| Country | India |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 400 m: 52.82 (Bangalore 2011) 400 m hurdles: 56.15 (Guangzhou 2010) |
Medal record | |
Biography
Born in Siddapura, Udupi, Kundapura taluk, Udupi district, Karnataka, she was raised in a Tulu-speaking family to her mother, Yashoda Shetty Akkunji and father, B.R. Chidananda Shetty.[6][7] Ashwini hails from an agriculturist family.[8] with a sporting legacy.[9] She grew up on her family's 5 acre farmland amidst Areca nut plantations along with her elder siblings a sister, Dipti and a brother, Amith.[10] Earlier, Ashwini was employed with the Indian Railways, and as a manager in Corporation bank in Patiala, Punjab[11] and presently works as a coach in Sports Authority of India Bangalore.[12]
Doping
In July 2011 prior to Asian athletics championships in Kobe (Japan) she tested positive for anabolic steroids.[13] She was subsequently dropped from the athletics team for the event and was suspended from athletics. She denied the charges but on 23 December 2011 the NADA banned her for a year.[14] The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld an appeal by the International Association of Athletics Federations against lighter sentences and handed Ashwini and 5 other athletes (Mandeep Kaur, Sini Jose, Jauna Murmu, Tiana Mary and Priyanka Panwar) a two-year ban.[15]
Awards, rewards and recognition
She was given the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2010. This comprised a cash payment of one hundred thousand Rupees, a 20 gramme gold medallion and a grant of priority in the allotment of house sites by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).[16] She has been rewarded financially by both the national and state governments, as well as Indian Railways, in recognition of the gold medals won in 2010.[17][18][19][20]
References
External links
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