Driven by tribe and talent, Unnathi Aiyappa races towards world glory

Bengaluru

Having boosted India’s chances for the World Relay Championships, Karnataka sprinter Unnathi Aiyappa is now fully focused on being in the best shape for the big upcoming events in Delhi and Botswana. The young runner does not usually compete in relays, but her coach entered her in the mixed relay event. She found the event to be quite fun, winning gold and helping break a national record.

“You know, relays are fun, I love relays. I feel like in my whole life, competitions are fun. But this was the most fun because it was relays. It's not only you, but the whole team. It shows how much teamwork you put in, and how much you trust each other and everything,” she said of the gold medal at the International Invitational Relay and National Open Relay Competitions in Chandigarh last week.

While India has a good chance of qualifying for Botswana in May, anything could happen, and Unnathi is aware that other countries could better their time in the coming days. “But hopefully we are going. If we are, it will be great. I'm very happy because it's the Worlds and it's a really big stage,” she said. Having achieved much at a young age, being coached by her father and being the daughter of an Olympian has meant that expectations and pressure are rather high. However, she has received strong support from her native Kodava community.

“So both of my parents are from Kodagu. It's like a tribe, right? So we are very strong and we're very sporty. A lot of Coorgis are into sports and they support us a lot. They really support us and uplift us so much, and they motivate us a lot. So it's very helpful,” Unnathi said. She also draws inspiration from stylish sprinters like Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson, and is quite stylish herself. “Noah Lyles is really good at this point and I also like Sha’Carri — her attitude and everything on the track. She's very confident and very open about herself, which is like me.

I resemble her a lot. Even Noah Lyles does the same thing, but he shows off a bit too much. But that's okay — I mean, it's him!” she said. Unnathi is also a journalism student, which she said she chose after speaking to a professor who told her it was one of the easier degrees to pursue. “No, actually, it is not easy. I really like journalism, but the other subjects — the combination I took — was really tough. I took economics and political science and both of them are really hard. So it's actually not easy. I was just like, I want to take arts. I can't deal with math anymore,” she said. Currently in Bhubaneswar training for the upcoming events, Unnathi will be aiming to bring home a medal from Botswana in May.