Sudha Singh completed a hat-trick of wins in Mumbai Marathon by winning gold among Indian women in full marathon on Sunday. She was the defending champion here and had won in 2016 also. However, she recorded her best timing of 2:34:55 on Sunday which was not only her personal best timing but also course record in Mumbai Marathon. The feat also helped her to qualify for World Championships in Doha.

The 32-year-old athlete who also partcipates in 3000m steeple chase was born in Rai Bareli, Uttar Pradesh and has been to Olympics twice. She won silver in Asian Games last year. Her breakthrough came at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, where she won the gold medal in steeplechase.

She thanked her employers Central Raiways, Mumbai for achieving this much in life.

“I have been promoted to Sports Officer last month and it feels great. My employers have been supporting me from the start and without their support nothing would have been possible. People recognised me after 2010 CWG medal but Railways gave me support from 2005. They have given been so much flexibility in duty that I can train without any tension,” she said.

Though Sudha trains in Bengaluru and Ooty for competitions, she revealed she feels always comfortable in Mumbai.

“I feel comfortable here. In UP I found no support, there is a lot of politics. Here atleast merit works. I thank Procam (Marathon organisers) and its team for looking after us well and managing these events. It makes so easy for us to participate in those home events and qualify for world events,” she added.