Excited to travel for CWG as I never had a chance to run in it: Vandana Rao

MD Valsamma, Vandana Rao, Shiny Wilson and PT Usha after winning gold at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. Pic/Vandana Rao’s Personal Collection

Former India sprint star Vandana Rao, who was part of the famous quartet that included PT Usha, Shiny Wilson and MD Valsamma, who won the 4x400m gold at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, is excited to be the Indian contingent's team manager at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2).

"This [being picked as team manager] is a surprise. To be back in the sporting fold after such a long time is great. I'm really excited to go to the Commonwealth Games since I never had a chance to run in it," Rao, 63, who clinched two gold medals in the 4×400m relay at the 1985 and 1987 Asian Championships before hanging up her spikes after the 1988 Seoul Olympics, told mid-day on Tuesday.

Vandana Rao

Though Rao admitted that she's awaiting details on what her role entails, she is confident that her wealth of experience as an athlete will keep her in good stead. Rao, Usha, Wilson, and Valsamma were dubbed the Golden Girls after setting a new Asian record in the 4x400m final at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (3 mins 32.49 secs).

Rao said that she's happy to return to the Indian sporting set-up at a time when there is a lot of development in the current crop of sprinters, like Gurindervir Singh, who clinched the 100m national record with a time of 10.09 seconds on Saturday. "I'm really happy to see the progress India's sprinters have made. They're all improving and doing really well," Rao concluded.