Somra Oraon. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, June 1: He was happy but not on cloud nine after bagging the gold and setting a new record meet at the recently concluded Federation Cup National Junior Athletics Championship and National Youth Athletics Championship at Pune.

After all Somra Oraon has set higher goals for himself.

The emerging talent from Tata Athletic Academy (TAA) did not come across as ecstatic lad when The Telegraph caught up with him after his return. “Yes, it feels good to created a new meet record in 800m (at under-18 boys’ category) at Pune but I aim of winning a medal at the Asian level,” Oraon said.

The youngster ran the 800m at a brisk pace, clocking 1:54.56 seconds to pocket the gold. In the process, Oraon created a new record by overtaking the earlier one of 1:54.84 seconds. Oraon was part of the Jharkhand squad at the Pune meet.

Hailing from a small village in Gumla, Oraon has come a long way. Competing in village athletics meet and honing his skills at Gumla Training Centre is a thing of the past for this promising athletes as he has embarked on a much larger platform.

The 17-year-old Oraon joined TAA in August in 2007 and soon made an impression on the coaches with his stamina and hard work. He was spotted by coach Bagicha Singh at the National Youth meet in Bangalore last year, where he claimed the top slot in the 1500m category.

“I was asked to join TAA soon after bagging the gold at 1500m. I have improved in the past nine months by working under the coaches here,” Oraon added.

Asked whether he called up his parents after bagging the 800m gold in Pune, Oraon said he always called his family after winning medals. “I come from a humble background. My relations are engaged in tilling the land in my village but I want to make it big in the field of athletics. I want to do something for my family and make them proud,” he said.

Besides winning the 800m gold, Oraon also made sure that the 1500 silver (under-18 boys’) was his at the National Youth meet.

Apart from the recent success, Oraon has also enjoyed podium finishes on other occasions. He claimed the 1500m gold at the Junior National Athletic Meet, Vijaywada, in November last year before winning the 800m top slot, 1500m silver and helping Jharkhand bag the second slot at the inter-zonal meet, also in 2007.

Moreover, he also managed the 1500m gold in the rural national athletic championship at Kokrajhar in Assam last year.

“Remaining consistent in athletics is a tough job. One has to remain fit and agile always. I am very happy that I have got to train myself at the academy. The facilities here are excellent and the training apparatus is superb. I am in good hands,” Oraon signed off.