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Charles Borromeo (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Charles Borromeo is a track and field
athlete born at Devakottai
in Tamil Nadu
, India
. He was awarded Arjuna Award
in 1982 for winning gold at the 1982 Asian Games
in Delhi
at a record time of 1:46:81 seconds in India. His represented India in the 1984 Summer Olympics
at Los Angeles
. His time in the limelight may be short, yet his efforts won him the prestigious Padma Shri
civilian award in India in 1984. After retirement, he continued to work in developing sports at the national level in India. He served as the National Sports Director of Special Olympics Bharat, a programme run by the Special Olympics International in India.
, located in Sivaganga district
in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
. He did his schooling in Muthathal Middle School and De Britto Hr. Sec. School, Devakottai.
He moved to Ahmedabad
for college, graduating from St. Xavier's College. Even while at college, his passion and ability for sports earned him the Best Sportman Award. His record time at the Inter-University Meet in 1978 provided him a ticket to the international arena, to represent the Indian universities at the World University Games in Mexico
in 1979.
as Sports Assistant in 1979 and participated in a number of track and field meets.
In 1982 he rose to the limelight. He topped the six-nation Athletic Meet in Mumbai
, bagged the Inter-State Championship at Calicut and won the Gold at the Pakistan National Games at Peshawar
. He won a Bronze at the Peking International Games in China
and toured Germany
representing the Indian athletic team.
At the 1982 Asian Games
at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi
, he represented India and won the 800m gold with a record time of 1:46:81 seconds (by an Indian in India). He was the first Indian to break the sub-1:47 seconds time in India. He was the first Tata employee to win a Gold in the Asian Games.
In 1984 Tata honored him as the Best Sportsman. Borromeo ater represented India at a number of track and field
meets around the world, including Japan
and China
, where he again won gold. He represented India at the 1984 Summer Olympics
at Los Angeles
. He was eliminated in the first round after finishing fifth with a time of 1:51.52.
Borromeo was the captain of the Indian team at the Asian Track and Field meet in Jakarta
and the 1985 South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka
. He won silver in both the meets. He retired as an athlete in 1986 at the age of 28, after experiencing recurring knee problems.
He was awarded the Arjuna Award
in 1982 and the Padma Shri
in 1984 by the Government of India
.
. He became the National Sports Director of the Special Olympics Bharat, the Indian arm of the Special Olympics International focussing on the development of sports for the mentally retarded people. He served the sports federation till 2005.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete born at Devakottai
Devakottai
Devakottai [தேவகோட்டை] is a town and a first grade municipality in Sivaganga district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Devakottai is one of the biggest towns of the Nagarathar community.-History:...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was awarded Arjuna Award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
in 1982 for winning gold at the 1982 Asian Games
1982 Asian Games
The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India.An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.-Sports:...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
at a record time of 1:46:81 seconds in India. His represented India in the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. His time in the limelight may be short, yet his efforts won him the prestigious Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
civilian award in India in 1984. After retirement, he continued to work in developing sports at the national level in India. He served as the National Sports Director of Special Olympics Bharat, a programme run by the Special Olympics International in India.
Early life
Charles Borromeo was born on December 1, 1958 in the village of DevakottaiDevakottai
Devakottai [தேவகோட்டை] is a town and a first grade municipality in Sivaganga district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Devakottai is one of the biggest towns of the Nagarathar community.-History:...
, located in Sivaganga district
Sivaganga District
Sivaganga District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Sivaganga is the district headquarters. It is bounded by Pudukkottai district on the Northeast, Tiruchirapalli district on the North, Ramanathapuram district on South East, Virudhunagar district...
in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. He did his schooling in Muthathal Middle School and De Britto Hr. Sec. School, Devakottai.
He moved to Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
for college, graduating from St. Xavier's College. Even while at college, his passion and ability for sports earned him the Best Sportman Award. His record time at the Inter-University Meet in 1978 provided him a ticket to the international arena, to represent the Indian universities at the World University Games in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1979.
Career
Borromeo later joined Tata SteelTata Steel
Tata Steel is a multinational steel company headquartered in Jamshedpur, India and part of Tata Group. It is the world's seventh-largest steel company, with an annual crude steel capacity of 31 million tonnes, and the largest private-sector steel company in India measured by domestic production...
as Sports Assistant in 1979 and participated in a number of track and field meets.
In 1982 he rose to the limelight. He topped the six-nation Athletic Meet in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, bagged the Inter-State Championship at Calicut and won the Gold at the Pakistan National Games at Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
. He won a Bronze at the Peking International Games in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and toured Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
representing the Indian athletic team.
At the 1982 Asian Games
1982 Asian Games
The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India.An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.-Sports:...
at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, he represented India and won the 800m gold with a record time of 1:46:81 seconds (by an Indian in India). He was the first Indian to break the sub-1:47 seconds time in India. He was the first Tata employee to win a Gold in the Asian Games.
In 1984 Tata honored him as the Best Sportsman. Borromeo ater represented India at a number of track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
meets around the world, including Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, where he again won gold. He represented India at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He was eliminated in the first round after finishing fifth with a time of 1:51.52.
Borromeo was the captain of the Indian team at the Asian Track and Field meet in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
and the 1985 South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. He won silver in both the meets. He retired as an athlete in 1986 at the age of 28, after experiencing recurring knee problems.
He was awarded the Arjuna Award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
in 1982 and the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 1984 by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
.
Post-retirement
Post-retirement Borromeo has been involved with Special OlympicsSpecial Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
. He became the National Sports Director of the Special Olympics Bharat, the Indian arm of the Special Olympics International focussing on the development of sports for the mentally retarded people. He served the sports federation till 2005.