Athlete Murali Kuttan dies, son wins gold

Thiruvananthapuram: Unaware of the death of his father and ace athlete A G Murali Kuttan, young Sujith Kuttan emerged the fastest boy of Kerala winning the gold in the 100m dash in the 54th School Games on Sunday. Sujith came to know of the tragedy only after he came out of the track finishing the 100 metres race in 10.90 seconds. "Why did you send me to the track. Why did you not tell me of my dad`s death," a sobbing Sujith was heard saying to those who gathered around him to break the shocking news. A former international middle-distance runner, Muralikuttan, 57, died following a heart attack at a private hospital this morning. The sad news, however, was kept a secret from Sujith till he completed the event successfully at the University Stadium. Sujith`s mother Olympian Mercy Kuttan was a long jumper.Murali and Mercy are the only Indian athlete couple to emerge national champions and win Asiad medals. Sujith, 18, a student of Sacred Hearts Higher Secondary School at Thevara, Kochi, got off to a brilliant start and came out triumphant with a timing of 10.9 secs, equalling the previous record held by J Clement. PTI