Ashwini Akkunji

Ashwini Akkunji

Personal information
Birth name	Ashwini Chidananda Shetty Akkunji
Full name	Ashwini Chidananda Shetty Akkunji
Nickname(s)	Gensale Express
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 Women’s athletics Representing  India Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi 4x400 m relay Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou 400 m hurdles 2010 Guangzhou 4x400 m relay

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]

Bio

Born in Siddapura, Udupi, Kundapura taluk, Udupi district, Karnataka, she was raised in a Kannada-speaking family to her mother, Yashoda Shetty Akkunji and father, B.R. Chidananda Shetty.^[5][6] Ashwini hails from an agriculturist family.^[7] with a sporting legacy.^[8] 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.^[9] Earlier, Ashwini was employed with the Indian Railways,^[10] and presently works as a manager in Corporation Bank, Patiala, Punjab.^[11]

Doping

In July 2011 prior to Asian athletics championships in Kobe (Japan) she tested positive for anabolic steroids.^[12] 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.^[13] 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.^[14]

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).^[15] 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.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Personal Life

On 24 September 2015, at the age of 27, Ashwini got engaged to Abhijith an Accountant with MNC in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Abhijith's father Amarnath Rai is a retired employee of Vijaya Bank and his mother Shwetha A Rai is home maker.^[20]

Ashwini's father-in-law is a former National Kabaddi player and at present president of Mangalore District Kabaddi association. Abhijith too was shot-put player and had represented Karnataka at Nationals.

References

1. Kundapur (SP) (14 October 2010). "Kundapur: Country’s Pride, Ashwini Shetty Akkunje, Getting Accolades Aplenty". Daijiworld Media Network. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
2. Bose, Saibal. "Indian relay girls bring the house down". Times of India. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
3. Rawat, Rahul. "Ashwini wants to win more medals". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
4. "Infosys CEO Gopalakrishnan, Ullas Karanth bag top Karnataka award". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 30 October 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
5. Team Mangalorean. "Ashwini's village in celebration mood!". Mangalorean.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
6. Staff Correspondent (14 October 2010). "Ashwini's family ecstatic". The Hindu (Chennai, India). Retrieved 15 October 2010.
7. Belgaumkar, Govind D. (14 October 2010). "Grit pumped up Karnataka's golden girl.". The Hindu (Chennai, India). Archived from the original on 19 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
8. Beejadi, Aishwarya. "Udupi: Rural Surroundings of Akkunje Scripts Ashwini's Success". Daijiworld.com. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
9. Daily News and Analysis. "Gensale Express does India proud at Asiad". D B Corp Ltd. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
10. Sukumar, Dev S. "Running... till the cows come home". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
11. Udupi: Athlete Ashwini Akkunji gets engaged
12. Ashwini and Priyanka add to doping shame : Controversies - London Olympics News - India Today
13. "ashwini akkunji". Retrieved 10 June 2012.
14. "CAS confirms 2-year bans on 6 Indian athletes". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 18 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
15. Rajyotsava awards for 162 Bangalore, Oct 30, DH News Service: « NRI Forum Karnataka :: News
16. "India News". The Times of India. 13 October 2010.
17. Yeddy announces cash prizes to Karna medal winners in CWG
18. "Railways honours Commonwealth Games medallists". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 27 October 2010.
19. The Village Road that Led to Guangzhou - Indian Express
20. Udupi: Athlete Ashwini Akkunji gets engaged

External links

• Ashwini Akkunji profile at IAAF