Kerala's talented athlete P U Chitra brought cheers to the Indian camp by clinching the gold in 3000 metres in the first Asian school track and field championship at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Chitra, the National Champion in the 58th National school games at Etawah, clocked 10 minutes 05.22 seconds to grab the gold.
A Plus two student of Mundur Higher Secondary School in Palakkad, she had recently won the gold in the South Zone Junior Athletic Championship at Kochi, timing 10:39.4 secs.
Twelve Kerala athletes, including seven girls, are part of the Indian team for the championship.
Kerala State Athletic Association Secretary M Velayudhan Kutty expressed happiness and said the athletes would perform better if they get enough exposure.
An elated Krishnakumar, brother of Chitra, told PTI that the family had been confident of her victory even before the start of the event.
