It has been the constant endeavour of mankind to evolve higher levels of sporting
challenge. Out of this quest has evolved the new sport of triathlon, comprising sea
swimming, cycling, and running. A relatively new sport, triathlon took an organised form
in India with the formation of the Indian Triathlon Federation and the conduct of the
first National Triathlon Championships on 23 and 24 February 1991 in Madras.
In this short span of nine years, the Indian triathletes, especially the girls, have done
the country proud. V.T. Anusuya of Karnataka became the first Indian to win an
international medal by claiming the bronze in the under-20 category of the first Asian
triathlon championships held in Japan on 4 October 1992. C. Amudha of Tamil Nadu went one
step better by winning the gold in the second Asian triathlon championships held in July
1993 at China.
Affiliated to the International Triathlon Union, the Indian Triathlon Federation, headed
by Mr. N. Ramachandran as president and Mr. Rakesh Gupta as secretary since inception, has
been regularly holding the national championships on an annual basis. Events are held
under sub-junior, junior (boys and girls) and senior (men and women) categories. The
events are held for both individuals and teams. While events under all categories were
conducted simultaneously in the first two years, in the third year, the national
sub-junior and junior championships were held at Kurukshetra on 22 October 1992 and the
senior national championship held at Madras on 14 March 1993.
A three-member Indian women's team comprising V.T. Anusuya (Karnataka), Archana Patel
(Gujarat) and Khushanaaz A. Subedar (Maharashtra) with Mr. N. Ramachandran as the head of
the delegation participated in the 1992 World Triathlon Championships held at Muskoka,
Canada on 12 September 1992. Earlier an Indian team comprising S. Karunakaran, Anusuya and
Farnaz Engineer had participated in the World Triathlon Championships held at Gold Coast,
Australia on 13 October 1991.
Indian triathlon officials have also been regularly attending the meetings of the Asian
Triathlon Confederation and the International Triathlon Union Congress. In the fifth
International Triathlon Union Congress held at Muskoka, Canada on 9 and 10 September 1992,
Mr. Ramachandran was elected to the information committee of the international federation.
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