Anilda Thomas working on a comeback

Olympian’s goal is a spot in the Indian relay team for next year’s Asian Games

Just three years ago, India won the women’s 4x400m relay gold at the Jakarta Asian Games but this year the country could not even field a team for the World Relays in Poland and failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. There are three major events lined up next year — World Championships (USA), Asian Games (China) and Commonwealth Games (England) — and Olympian Anilda Thomas, who is now married to Jibin Reji and has a 15-month-old son Evan Sebastian, is dusting her spikes and working on a comeback after two and half years. And the dismal state of the Indian women’s relay team has offered her hope. “I’ve started jogging at the Poojappura ground in Thiruvananthapuram and I’m planning to join coach P.B. Jaikumar’s camp in a week. Next year’s Asiad is the big motivation,” said Anilda, who ran for India in the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics, in a chat with The Hindu on Wednesday.