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Anu Raghavan

Raghavan with the 400m hurdles silver medal at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships
Personal information
Born	(1993-04-20) 20 April 1993 (age 31) Palakkad, Kerala, India
Sport
Country	India
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	400 metres, 400 metres hurdles
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  India Asian Championships 2017 Bhubaneswar 400m hurdles Asian Games 2018 Jakarta-Palembang 400m hurdles

Anu Raghavan (born 20 April 1993) is an Indian sprinter who competes in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles events.

In 2016, she filed a case in the Kerala High Court against Athletics Federation of India (AFI), after having been left out of the Indian 4 × 400 metres relay team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, calling it a battle against "corruption and nepotism within the Federation." She stated that she was left out of the Olympics contingent as well as the South Asian Games contingent earlier that year because she "chose to train outside the national camp."

Raghavan won the silver medal in the 400 metres hurdles event at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, clocking a time of 57.22 seconds.

Raghavan won the bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang where she clocked a timing of 56.92. She was awarded the medal after the Gold medal winner Kemi Adekoya from Bahrain was disqualified due to the consumption of a banned substance.

Career

Rio Olympics 2016

Despite being a member of the World Championship 2015, Beijing and Asian Meet 2015 at Wulan, China, Raghavan was excluded from the 4 x 400 relay team set to represent India at the Rio Olympics 2016. Her petition alleged that the AFI as well as the Sports Authority of India (SAI), based on recommendations made by Yuri Ogorodnik- the national track and field coach- picked a slower and dope-tainted Ashwini Akkunji instead of Raghavan.

The Rio-bound team consisted of M. R. Poovamma, Nirmala Sheoran, Anilda Thomas and Debashree Mazumdar, with two 'reserve' spots contested by Raghavan, Akkunji, Priyanka Pawar and Jisna Mathew. The AFI and Ogorodnik later came to the decision that the spots be given away to Mathew and Akkunji.

Claiming injustice, Raghavan sought legal resort and filed a petition with the Kerala High Court, which later directed the AFI to include Raghavan in the team. However, the AFI claimed that the last date for inclusion of athletes had already passed. She also said that the AFI cited Akkunji's experience as the criterion for her selection,"but they are defending her with her performance record from six years back".

In November 2015, the AFI also asked Raghavan to join a national camp, and any athlete who fails to fails to attend the camp would not be considered for the Olympics. Raghavan, however, pointed out that her post-graduate education would be adversely impacted if she attends the camp, which solicited no response from the AFI.

References

1. Singh, Navneet (22 July 2016). "Athlete Anu Raghavan goes to court over Rio relay team omission". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
2. "Nepotism cost me Olympics spot, alleges Anu Raghavan". Manorama Online. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
3. AS, Shan (2 June 2017). "Revenge and record for Anu in grudge race". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
4. Misra, Sundeep (9 July 2017). "Asian Athletics Championships: Anu Raghavan proves a point with silver, Sudha Singh secures gold". Firstpost. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
5. ^ "Raghavan ANU | Profile | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
6. "Asiad champion tests positive, Anu Raghavan to get 400m hurdles bronze - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 July 2019.

External links

• Anu Raghavan at World Athletics

• 1993 births
• Living people
• Indian female sprinters
• Indian female hurdlers
• Athletes from Palakkad
• Sportswomen from Kerala
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Asian Games
• Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Asian Games bronze medalists for India
• Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games