7 Eminent Sports Personalities from Kerala - Lelagoon Lists

Kerala, the land of coconuts, spices and culture, is also much inclined towards education, literature, arts and sports. While tourism is much promoted in Kerala, sports also are loved by the people here as much as they love art and culture. Kalarippayattu, Kerala’s ancient martial arts form is the perfect example of how exuberantly the people of Kerala engaged in sporting activities. Football and Cricket remain the most popular sports in Kerala. Swimming and Boat racing are a part of Kerala’s culture. But the new generation has taken up a variety of sports activities such as roller skating, basketball, volleyball, cycling, tennis and badminton too. The increasing number of sports events held in Kerala remains the perfect proof to the increasing interest of the youngsters in sports. In the coming years, we can probably see more star sports personalities from Kerala stepping up their sports career. While most of the people worldwide know many destinations in the state as popular tourist locations on Kerala tour packages from Ahmedabad, here we present another facet of Kerala.

Here are 7 eminent sports personalities who hail from Kerala and have made the land proud:

P T Usha – Athlete

P T Usha hails from Kozhikode and she’s popularly known as Payyoli Express as that’s her native place. P T Usha is one of the greatest athletes India has ever produced so far. She is the first Indian woman to reach the finals of an Olympic event. She has won many national and international awards and accolades in track and field events and currently runs a sports academy to train budding talents in Kerala. She’s one of those rare athletes who has dedicated her entire life to her love for sports and still is working hard to bring up new talents who are less privileged in the field.

Shiny Wilson – Athlete

Shiny Wilson hails from the beautiful town of Thodupuzha. She, along with P T Usha, have participated and won many track and field event medals for India in many international events. Shiny Wilson was the first Indian woman to enter the semi-finals in Women’s 800m in Olympics. She has also won award for being among the top 10 women athletes of Asia.

I M Vijayan – Football

I M Vijayan is considered as the ‘Black Pearl’ of Indian football! He hails from Trissur from a very mediocre family where he used to sell soda bottles for a living. His journey from there to the most paid football player in India is an inspiring one which you can watch in his biographical movie Kalo Harin. The movie also won a National Award! During his prime time, he played exclusively for India though he was approached by many international clubs. He currently runs his own football coaching academy and also pursues his passion of acting. He has acted in 8 Malayalam movies and award winning short movie Kalo Harin.

P R Sreejesh – Hockey

P R Sreejesh is Indian national Hockey team’s current captain and the goal keeper. He hails from Kizhakkambalam on the suburbs of Kochi city. Though he started off his sports life as a sprinter when he was a child, he was soon spotted by the coaches at the G V Raja Sports Academy and trained to be the goal keeper. Sreejesh has lead the Indian hockey team at Rio Olympics recently, and won many prestigious international matches for India.

Tintu Luka – Athlete

Tintu Luka is an athlete who represents India in the track and field events in international events and the current national record holder in Women’s 800 m. She is trained and mentored by P T Usha at her sports academy in Kozhikode. She hails from Kannur and has won many national and International track and field events. She won 1st in the Asian Games and Asian Championship events in 2014 – 2015 years. She also participated in the Rio Olympics.

S Sreesanth – Cricket

Sreesanth hails from Ernakulam. He played for India’s national cricket team during the period 2005 – 2011. Though he has been a controversy’s child throughout his career till now, he was definitely a promising bowler for the Indian team. On account of some controversies, Sreesanth was served a life ban from playing for the Indian team. He then switched over to dancing and acting. He joined BJP, the ruling party, and contested elections from Trivandrum. The latest update is that he is trying to resume his cricket career by approaching the court to remove his ban.

V Diju – Badminton

Diju hails from Kozhikode and plays Badminton mixed-doubles. He along with Jwala Gutta, are the current national champions in the sports and are ranked 7th internationally. He was in the news recently for expressing his refusal to represent India without his accustomed partner Jwala Gutta.

Kerala has produced many more eminent personalities in sports such as Anju Bobby George, Tinu Yohannan, and V P Sathyan. Sports, particularly football and cricket, are in the blood of the people of Kerala. The younger generation understands the importance of sports in their life and future, and hence embraces various sports activities during their schooling and afterwards. On your Kerala tour packages from Ahmedabad, you will find various sports events happening at the grounds and stadiums built across the state. The Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium is a popular place where many cricket and football matches are held regularly. So if you are a sports-enthusiast, the next time you visit Kerala, make sure you check out the sports academies and the sporting events happening in the city you are visiting. There are many sports shops also opened in the malls and other complexes in Kerala these days from where you can buy quality sports equipment for developing your skills. Most of the resorts and hotels have swimming pools and recreation facilities where most of these sports can be practiced. Kerala’s nature provides another nurturing ground for other sporting activities such as trekking, mountain climbing, camping and cycling. If you are visiting the hill stations during your holidays in Kerala, you can enjoy these activities.