Shiny Abraham - Career

Career

Shiny Abraham's athletics career ran alongside that of PT Usha from the time the two of them represented the country in the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982. Shiny became national champion in the 800 metres a year before the Asian Games in Delhi. After that and until she announced her retirement, she has won the event every time she did the course on the national scene, A veteran of four Olympics and three Asian Games, Shiny has some great moments to cherish, particularly the experience in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games where she became the first woman from India to enter the semi-final of an Olympic event. And more importantly, she was part of the relay squad which set the Asian record there and again when it improved upon that mark during the World Championship in Rome in 1987.

Shiny also has some bitter memories, of the day when she cut into the inner lane and was disqualified while very much in front of the field during the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. She also cherishes the memory of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when she became the first woman to be the flag bearer for India at the Olympics.

Her most memorable competition was the Asian Track & Field Meet at Delhi in 1989, despite being in the family way, she ran the 800 meters to come second behind Sun Sumei of China but Shiny was declared the winner as Sumei tested positive for doping. One of her greatest achievements was that she was running even faster after the birth of her child and she set a new record of 1:59.85 in the 800m race at the 1995 South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in Chennai. She is married to well-known international swimmer and Arjuna awardee, Cherian Wilson and employed as Deputy Manager (Sports) with Food corporation of India, Shiny was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1985, Birla Award in 1996 and Padma Shri in 1998. she is also the recipient of Chinese Journalists Award 1991 for being one of the Top Ten Athletes of Asia.