Bengal's Shyamali bags silver after tumour scare

Long-distance running is about breaking barriers and Midnapore's Shyamali Singh, who finished second among elite Indian women athletes in the TSK 25K on Sunday, is doing just that with every stride. Hailing from a poor family of farmers, the 26-year-old was diagnosed with a tumor two years back after she returned from the Thailand Cross Country.

It, however, did not leave her shattered. With the support of her husband-cum-coach Santosh, she ran the 2017 Mumbai Marathon and stood second with a time of 3:08:41 and used the Rs 4 lakh prize money for her treatment.

Two years later, after being cleared of cancer, she returned to running and again put up a spectacular show finishing behind Kiranjeet Kaur with a timing of one hour 39 minutes and two seconds to win a silver in the Indian women's category at the TSK 25K here. Recounting the journey, she said: "We are not well off. My husband Santosh is my coach also and we decided to fight it together. I needed money for my treatment and so I participated in the Mumbai Marathon. I was determined to make a podium finish to get the money for my treatment."

During Sunday's race, she led the Indian women's contingent till the 17km mark before a cramp on her stomach slowed her down. She also seemed to face dehydration and vomited along the way as Kiranjeet overtook her en route to win the gold.

"I need to consult a doctor. But I will continue to run in 5000m, 10,000m and 10K, 25K, Half and Full Marathon," she said. She now plans to use the prize money of Rs 2 lakh to buy tickets for Kenya where she wants to train with the best coaches. She will be there for 30 days and will return to compete in Tata Mumbai Marathon and plans to do better than her silver finish in 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)