R Muthukutti, V Muthumariammal and R Ramalakshmi have never lived by the sea. Two out of them do not swim and have barely had the chance to encounter large water bodies.
A regular day in their life consists of a morning routine involving studying before heading to work at Loyal Mills, Kovilpatti. They piece together shirts, pants and other garments between 8.45am and 5.30pm. Right after, they head off to work on their language skills, brush up on home economics and play sports at the mill’s learning centre. This is besides the hours they put into educating themselves — passing their higher secondary and collegiate education.
Yet, on September 14 and 15, the three women participated in a 200-metre open sprint race at the Palk Bay Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP) championship at Quest Academy in Ramanathapuram. They came back home sporting the three shiny medals. Gold, silver and bronze were theirs to have and hold despite just one week of training.
