Son of S.P. Loganathan and Mythili, Navaneetha Krishnan ran his first marathon last year at 19. He went on to win a gold medal in the 10-kilometre run.

For this student of Civil Engineering, life is a race, and in every race that he runs, he chases victory. Last month, the Coimbatore-based athlete represented India in the South Asian Rural Games, and he won the gold medal in the 1500-metre race.

“My older brother is my inspiration,” Navaneetha Krishnan says. “While we were in school, he would participate in sports meets. I have followed the footsteps of my older brother. My parents and my uncle, N. Parthiban, have motivated and encouraged me all through.”

Currently, Navaneetha Krishnan is doing his second year B.E. with the Coimbatore Institute of Engineering and Technology (CIET) and he owes it to his college management and sports coach for helping him balance his education and his passion for sports.

“The Director of my college, Dr. K. Chinnaraju; Principal, N. Nagarajan; Vijaykumar, Head of Department, Civil Engineering; Shiva Kumar, Physical Director; Dinesh Kumar, my coach; and Maheshwari for their constant support, motivation and encouragement,” Navaneetha Krishnan says.

He shares with us that between January and December last year, he won 13 medals at various district-, state-, and national-level marathons, sports meets, and competitions. His dream is to represent India at the Olympic Games. He tells us that he is working towards achieving his dream.