Asian Athletic Commission nominates former track and field athlete Shiny Wilson as member
The Asian Athletic Commission has nominated the former track and field athlete Shiny Wilson, as one of its members for a period of four years in a virtual meeting conducted on Monday (April 1).
The meeting was led by the Chairman of the Commission Mohd. Suleiman (Qatar) and attended by the president of the Asian Athletics Association Dahalan Jaman B. Al-Hamad (Qatar), Asian Athletics Association Competition Director C. K. Valson (India), and Secretary General of Asian Athletics Association A. Shuggumarran (Singapore).
“It is great honor to be nominated. I am so happy,” Shiny was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
Notably, the retired Indian athlete represented India in more than 75 instances in international competitions.
Shiny Wilson’s illustrious career
It’s worth noting that Shiny Wilson's career coincided with that of PT Usha. A year before the Asian Games in Delhi, Shiny emerged as the national champion in the 800 meters in 1981 to steal the spotlight.
Moving on to her career in the Asian Games, in 1986, she secured a silver medal in women’s 400m in Seoul, clocking behind PT Usha. Interestingly, the duo along with MD Valsamma and Vandana Rao clinched the gold medal in women’s 4x400m relay.
In the Asian Games 1994 in Hiroshima, she went on to clinch a bronze medal in the women’s 800m event. Furthermore, Usha, Shiny, G. V. Dhanalakshmi, and Kutty Saramma bagged the silver medal in the women’s 4x400m relay.
She secured three gold medals - one in 800m, the other two in 400m and 4x100m each in the Asian Championships. Moreover, she won four silver medals and two bronze in the Asian Championships from 1985 to 1995.
Shiny represented India in the Olympics on four occasions - 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, and 1996 Atalanta. Importantly, in the 1992 edition, she became the first Indian woman to be the flagbearer for the Indian contingent.
Shiny was bestowed with the Arjuna award by the Government of India in 1985, while she was honored with Padma Shri in 1998. Moreover, she was presented with the Chinese Journalists Award in 1991 for being one of the top 10 athletes in Asia.