Mercy Kuttan
Encyclopedia
Mercy Kuttan (born 1 January 1960) is a former India
n track and field athlete. She was the first Indian woman longjumper to cross six meters. In 1989, Mercy received Arjuna Award
for her contribution to the Indian athletics.
; her first international success came in 1981 Asian Championships in Athletics
when she won the double Bronze in longjump and 4 x 400 metres relay
. In the next year at 1982 Asian Games
when she won a Silver medal in longjump. She represented India in longjump at 1983 World Championships in Athletics
, but did not qualify for the final round. Mercy has the distinction of being the first woman from Kerala to win a medal in the Asian Track and Field meet. Her personal best in longjump is 6.29 m. In the latter stage of her career she took to sprint
and started competing in 400 metres
. She competed in 400 metres at 1988 Seoul Olympics
and managed to reach the second round.
, a former 400 metres National champion and is the mother of two sons Suraj Kuttan and Sujith Kuttan
. Mercy and Murali were the first Indian athletic couple to emerge National champions and win Asian medals. Murlai took the role of the coach and had influenced Mercy to shift from longjump to 400 metre. Both Mercy and Murali worked for Tata Steel
, Jamshedpur. They are currently running the "Mercy Kuttan Athletics Academy" in Kochi
.
International Level
Other distinctions
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...
n track and field athlete. She was the first Indian woman longjumper to cross six meters. In 1989, Mercy received 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....
for her contribution to the Indian athletics.
Career
Mercy was born in KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
; her first international success came in 1981 Asian Championships in Athletics
1981 Asian Championships in Athletics
-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:*...
when she won the double Bronze in longjump and 4 x 400 metres relay
4 x 400 metres relay
The 4 x 400 meters relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise four runners who each complete 400 meters or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first 500 meters is run in lanes...
. In the next year at 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:...
when she won a Silver medal in longjump. She represented India in longjump at 1983 World Championships in Athletics
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
, but did not qualify for the final round. Mercy has the distinction of being the first woman from Kerala to win a medal in the Asian Track and Field meet. Her personal best in longjump is 6.29 m. In the latter stage of her career she took to sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
and started competing in 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
. She competed in 400 metres at 1988 Seoul Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
and managed to reach the second round.
Personal life
Mercy is married to Murali KuttanMurali Kuttan
Murali Kuttan was an Indian track and field athlete who represented the country as a sprinter on several occasions. He won the 400 metres gold in the Indo-Russian athletic meet in 1978. In the same year he also won the bronze in the 400 metres at the Asian Games in Bangkok...
, a former 400 metres National champion and is the mother of two sons Suraj Kuttan and Sujith Kuttan
Sujith kuttan
Sujith Kuttan is an emerging talent in the Indian track and field arena. He was named the “” in the year 2011 and has won a at the National Games held in Ranchi in February, 2011...
. Mercy and Murali were the first Indian athletic couple to emerge National champions and win Asian medals. Murlai took the role of the coach and had influenced Mercy to shift from longjump to 400 metre. Both Mercy and Murali worked for Tata Steel
Tata 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...
, Jamshedpur. They are currently running the "Mercy Kuttan Athletics Academy" in Kochi
Kochi (India)
Kochi , formerly Cochin, is a major port city on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea. Kochi is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. Kochi is often called by the name Ernakulam, which refers to the western part of the mainland Kochi...
.
Achievements
National Level- 1976 – 78—National School games Champion in Long Jump
- 1979 – 80—All India Inter-University Champion in 100 m, 200 m, and Long Jump
- 1979 – 87—National Champion in Long Jump
- 1988—National Champion in 400 meter
International Level
- 1980—Won Gold medal in Long Jump, 4 x 400 m and 4 x 100 m relay in Pakistan National Games at LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
- 1981—Represented India in World Spartakyad in MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1981 - 1981—Won Bronze Medal in Long Jump and 4 x 400 m relay in Asian Track and Field meet in TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
- 1982—Won Silver Medal in Long Jump in the 9th Asian Games1982 Asian GamesThe 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 New DelhiNew DelhiNew Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is... - 1982—Represented India in Commonwealth Games1982 Commonwealth GamesThe 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...
in BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - 1983—Represented India in Long Jump in the First World Athletic Meet at HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
- 1983—Represented India in Asian Track and Field Meet in KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
- 1986—Represented India in Long Jump in the 10th Asian Games1986 Asian GamesThe 10th Asian Games were held from September 20, 1986 to October 5, 1986 in Seoul, South Korea. The city was supposed to host the 1970 games, but it received security threats from neighboring North Korea, forcing it to give up hosting the games to previous 1966 host Bangkok, Thailand...
at SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world... - 1987—Won Gold Medal in Long Jump in the SAF Games1987 South Asian GamesThe 1987 South Asian Games, officially the 3rd South Asian Federation Games were a multi-sport event, held in Kolkata, India in 1987. It was the largest sporting event ever to be held in Kolkata, and West Bengal as a whole. This was also the first time when India hosted these Games...
in Calcutta - 1988—Represented India in 400 m and 4 x 400 m relay in Seoul Olympics1988 Summer OlympicsThe 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
- 1989—Won Gold Medal in 4x400 m relay in the Asian Track and Field at New DelhiNew DelhiNew Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
Other distinctions
- First Woman from India to Participate in the Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth GamesThe Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. - Captain of the Indian Team at the First World Athletic Championship.
- First Woman from India to Participate in World Athletic Championship.
- First Indian Woman to cross 6 meters in Long Jump in India.
- National Record holder in Long Jump for seven years from 1980 – 87.
- National School Record holder for 19 years.
- National University Record holder for 27 years.
- 1st Indian Woman Athlete to win medals at National & International level in both Track and Field events.
- First Couple (Murali Kuttan) from India to win Asian Games individual medals.