Jayanthi was an assistant coach at Usha School, run by legendary athlete PT Usha, (Usha School of Athletics)A 27-year-old woman trainer was found dead at the hostel of the Usha School of Athletics in Kozhikode Friday in a “suspected suicide”, said the police.
The deceased was identified as Jayanthi, who hailed from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, said the police. She was an assistant coach at Usha School, run by legendary athlete PT Usha, and had been working for one and a half years, police said.
“The body was found at the hostel room when the trainees checked on her in the morning and we suspect suicide. Body has been sent to hospital for postmortem. We informed the woman’s family and her brother has reached from Tamil Nadu,” Perambra Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vishnu Pratheep told indianexpress.com.
The police said they were yet to find any suicide note. They collected Jayanthi’s phone and other personal belongings for forensic examination.
Meanwhile, PT Usha, who finished fourth in the 400 metre hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, told local media that she was shocked by the news of Jayanthi’s death. “We used to talk three-four times a day. But it was all related to coaching only. She never discussed any personal matters to me. In fact, I found her very happy for the last two-three months. She was very happy saying her photo came in newspapers a few days ago. I don’t know what happened now. It was very shocking,” said Usha.
Jayanthi was a state level athlete and a diploma holder from the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
The Usha School of Athletics was founded in 2002 and later shifted to Kinalur in 2008. Tintu Luka, the current 800m national record holder and Asian Games medalist, is the most famous athlete for the school.