Reports | Middle-distance runner Tintu Luka to hang up her boots soon

Tintu Luka, who was mentored by PT Usha has decided to hang up her boots after participating in field & track events for over a decade and winning three medals at the Asian Games in 2010 & 2014.

"It seems she has decided to end her successful career. Her coach PT Usha has sent a letter to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) asking it to remove her name from the list of national campers," a TOI quoted a source saying. 

The same source further reported that Tintu attended the camp for a few months and left after that. It is being speculated that her decision could also have been hastened due to a nagging heel injury that forced her to miss the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

Luka’s name was included in a list released by the AFI for campers to train at the Usha School of Athletics from October 20, 2018. She left the USHA school last month having joined the first batch back in 2002.

The 29-year-old has earlier won a silver and bronze in 800m at the Incheon & Guangzhou Asian Games but has joined work full time with Railways as an Officer on Special Duty in Tamil Nadu. Hailing from Valathode in Iritty, Tintu dominated the 800m for many years and clocked her personal best of 1:59.17s in Split, Croatia, in 2010. 

The veteran athlete also excelled in the 400m and was part of the gold-medal winning squad at the 2014 Asian Games. Her personal best was 53.22 which was clocked in Lucknow in 2014. Tintu has also won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Championships from 2011 to 15.

Women: 200m: Dutee Chand; 1500m: Lilly Das, PU Chitra, 400mH: Saritaben Gaekwad; Javelin throw: Annu Rani, Heptathlon: Swapna Barman, Purnima Hembram; 4x400m: Hima Das, MR Poovamma, Saritaben, Jisna Mathew, Vismaya VK, Sonia Baishya.