Bhubaneswar: Champion middle-distance runner P U Chithra, who did the country proud by winning bronze in the women's 1,500m race at the Asian Games in Indonesia last month, has been appointed as a senior clerk at the Southern Railway's Palakkad Division on the basis of her sporting credentials.

She decided to accept the employment offer from the Railways after the Kerala government made her wait for years for a job under the sports quota. She will turn up for her employer at the 58th National Open Athletics Championships slated to begin in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

Last year, following her gold-winning performance at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, the state government had promised her a post in the government service. The government reiterated its commitment towards offering her a job after a row broke out over the exclusion of the 22-year-old from the Indian team for World Athletic Championship in London.

Chithra, hailing from a poor family in Mundoor in Palakkad district, had met Kerala Minister for Sports A C Moideen in person and handed over a job application after returning from Indonesia last month. As there was no response from the authorities concerned, she approached the Railways for a job. While the state government sat on her application for over a year, the Railway authorities completed the formalities quickly and issued the appointment order on Sunday.

The athlete said she would collect the order from the Southern Railway's Palakkad Division office on Monday and head for Bhubaneswar to take part in the Open Athletics Championships. She will start as the favourite in the women’s 1,500m event scheduled for Wednesday.

Long jumper Neena Pinto, who won silver at the Asian Games, will also be representing Railways at the event.

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