Ashwini Chidananda Shetty Akkunji (born 7 October 1987) is an Indian

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

athlete from

Siddapura, Udupi Siddapura is a village in the Kundapur taluk of Udupi district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The village's name is derived from Siddeshwara Devastana.. Infrastructure A dam built across the Varahi River is nearby. The Varahi irrigat ...

who specializes in

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

. Ashwini has won Gold Medals at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

and the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...

4x400 m relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

team event with Manjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur and

Sini Jose Sini Jose ( ml, സിനി ജോസ്) (born 25 May 1987) is an Indian sprint athlete from Ernakulam district, Kerala who specializes in 400 metres. Sini won the Gold Medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2010 Asian Games in 4x400 m rela ...

and an individual gold medal in the

400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once a ...

on 25 November 2010 at the 2010 Asian Games held at Guangzhou, in China. She is also a recipient of the

Rajyotsava Prashasti The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as t ...

(2010), a civilian honour awarded by the Indian State Government of Karnataka

Bio

Born in

, Kundapura taluk, Udupi district, Karnataka, she was raised in a

Tulu Tulu may refer to: People *Derartu Tulu (born 1972), Ethiopian long-distance runner *Walid Yacoubou (born 1997), Togolese footballer nicknamed "Tulu" India *Tulu calendar, traditional solar calendar generally used in the regions of southwest Kar ...

-speaking family to her mother, Yashoda Shetty Akkunji and father, B.R. Chidananda Shetty. Ashwini hails from an agriculturist family. with a sporting legacy. She grew up on her family's 5 acre farmland amidst Areca nut plantations along with her elder siblings a sister, Dipti and a brother, Amith. Earlier, Ashwini was employed with the Indian Railways, and as a manager in Corporation bank in Patiala, Punjab and presently works as a coach in

Sports Authority of India The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is the apex national sports body of India, established in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India for the development of sports in India. SAI has 2 Sports Academic institution ...

Bangalore.

Doping

In July 2011 prior to Asian athletics championships in Kobe (Japan) she tested positive for

anabolic steroids Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related and have similar effects t ...

. She was subsequently dropped from the athletics team for the event and was suspended from athletics. She denied the charges but on 23 December 2011 the NADA banned her for a year. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld an appeal by the International Association of Athletics Federations against lighter sentences and handed Ashwini and 5 other athletes (Mandeep Kaur, Sini Jose, Jauna Murmu, Tiana Mary and Priyanka Panwar) a two-year ban.

Awards, rewards and recognition

She was given the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2010. This comprised a cash payment of one hundred thousand

Rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

s, a 20 gramme gold medallion and a grant of priority in the allotment of house sites by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). She has been rewarded financially by both the national and state governments, as well as Indian Railways, in recognition of the gold medals won in 2010.The Village Road that Led to Guangzhou – Indian Express
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akkunji, Ashwini Living people 1987 births People from Udupi district Sportswomen from Karnataka Indian female sprinters Indian female hurdlers 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Asian Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Asian Games Doping cases in athletics Indian sportspeople in doping cases Kannada people Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Athletes from Karnataka Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2010 South Asian Games silver medalists for India South Asian Games medalists in athletics Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games