Sportspersons and organisers pay homage to Mridul Duarah at Nehru Stadium on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, June 22: Former international athlete Mridul Duarah passed away at his residence here in the wee hours today following a massive cardiac arrest.

The 43-year-old pole-vaulter’s sudden demise has come as a shock to the sports fraternity of Assam. Duarah is survived by his two daughters. His wife, Junumoni Saikia, popularly known as Bordoichila (sprint queen), who was also an athlete, had passed away at the age of 29 on December 9, 2002.

Mridul’s younger brother, Ronel Duarah, who was also a pole-vaulter, had died last year. Starting his career as an athlete in 1981, Mridul Duarah represented the state continuously from 1981 to 1999 in pole vault and scripted a national record of 4.41 metres in the Junior National Athletics Championship at Jalandhar in 1988.

He represented India in the South Asia Federation Games at Islamabad in 1990. Earlier, he represented the nation in the International Masters Athletics Meet in New Delhi in 1989.

His body was taken to Chetiagaon, his native village in Upper Assam, where he will be cremated tomorrow.

Hundreds of sportspersons and organisers paid tribute when his body was taken to the RG Baruah Sports Complex today.