5 Women athletes from Kerala who took their game and country to a whole new level

#2 K.M. Beenamol

K.M. Beenamol is an international athlete from the Idukki district of Kerala. She is known for her performances in 400 m and 800 m events.

Excellent performances at the Asian Junior Athletic Championships in 1992 and 1994 allowed her to secure six medals.

Like P.T. Usha, Beenamol built a name for herself with quite a few extraordinary performances during the Asian Games and the Asian Athletic Championships. Beenamol secured one Gold and one Silver medal during the 2000 Asian Championships held at Jakarta, Indonesia. She received the Gold for the 4 X 400 m relay. K.M. Beenamol bettered her record at the 2002 Asian Games, winning two Gold and one Silver medals. Also, she is the third Indian women to enter an Olympic semi-final event.

For her contributions to the sport, she was presented with the Arjuna award and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratha award. Additionally, she was conferred the Padma Shri in 2004.