Guwahati, Dec. 9: Fate has chosen a cruel way to put the brakes on Assam’s most illustrious queen of speed.

Former international athlete Junumoni Saikia Duarah — Bordoichila to her fans — passed away following gynaecological ailments at a private nursing home here last midnight.

The 29-year-old leaves behind her pole-vaulter-husband Mridul Duarah and two daughters. The athlete was cremated at Jengrai near Chabua in Dibrugarh district this afternoon.

Born in 1973 at Dhowachalagaon in Majuli, Junumoni took the track by storm after she was inducted into the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Guwahati on May 15, 1987.

She and her teammates set a meet record in the 4x100m relay at the junior Asian track and field meet in New Delhi in 1992. She won silvers at the Asian juniors in Beijing and the SAF Games in Colombo in 1992, besides participating at an Asian meet in Kuala Lumpur.

In the nationals, Junumoni won back-to-back 100m golds in the 33rd and 34th Schools Games in Chandigarh (1989) and Cuttack (1990). She won a 100m gold in the third junior nationals in Jalandhar and bagged the 100m and 200m bronzes in the fourth junior nationals in Bangalore in 1989.

The champion athlete represented Assam in the 100m and 200m at the 1990 Kanpur nationals, the Escort masters in Trivandrum and the 1990 Madras nationals.

All the games and sporting events in the city were cancelled for the day as a mark of respect to the athlete.

Her body was taken to the SAI complex here where hundreds of fans, including sports minister Robin Bordoloi, paid homage. The Arunachal Pradesh government has also conveyed its condolences.