T. C. Yohannan (born 19 May 1947), in full Thadathuvila Chandapillai Yohannan, is a former
Indian
long jumper
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
who held the national record in
long jump for nearly 3 decades and represented India in the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
in
Montreal, Quebec,
Canada. He hails from the state of
Kerala. Yohannan will be known for the new dimension he gave to long jump in India in 1974, the occasion was the
Tehran Asian Games
The 7th Asian Games ( fa, بازیهای آسیایی ۱۹۷۴) were held from 1 to 16 September 1974 in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex was built for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for ...
of 1974. Yohannan cleared a distance of 8.07 metres at the Teheran Asian Games for a new Asian record.
Early life
Born at Maranadu village in
Kollam district of
Kerala on 19 May 1947, Yohannan had his early feel of athletics in the Inter-School Meets for
Ezhukone Panchayat in 1964. He joined the public sector
Bhilai Steel Plant, wherein he represented his Plant in the Steel Plants Sports Meet in 1969 and in the same year, had his first experience of athletics at the national level. He finished fourth in the long Jump and fifth in the triple jump. He progressed to the second spot in the long jump event of the Nationals in 1970 and then matured to set a national mark of 7.60 metres in
Patiala in 1971.
Career
Selected to represent India in an international in Singapore, he won gold medals in both the long and triple jump. In 1972 he added the national triple jump title to his bag. His 7.78 metre jump created a new national record in 1973. He won the gold in
Teheran Asian Games with an Asian record of 8.07. He was invited to Japan the next year and won gold medals in competition's at Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kobe and then repeated his success in championships in the Philippines and Sibu City. His last fling at international competition was at the
Montreal Olympics
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
in 1976. He hung up his shoes after that.
A diploma holder in
Mechanical Engineering, Yohannan presently works as Assistant Public Relations Officer with the automobile giant
TELCO.
Awards and honours
Besides the national honour conferred on him in the form of
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
in 1974, he has received numerous other awards which include a merit award from the
Government of Kerala and the TelcoVeer award by his employers. He has also been honoured by the Bombay and Chennai Sports Journalists Association,
Lions Club, Sportsweek and the Tata Sports Club of Bombay.
He is the father of former Indian
cricketer
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
Tinu Yohannan
His elder son Tisvy Yohannan is settled in Melbourne (Australia).
See also
*
List of Kerala Olympians
This is a list of Keralites who have represented India in the Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competit ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yohannan, T. C.
Malayali people
Living people
Recipients of the Arjuna Award
Sportspeople from Kollam
Indian male long jumpers
1947 births
Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 Asian Games
Asian Games gold medalists for India
Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes of India
Athletes from Kerala
Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games