Made to stand naked for more than half a day, her private parts were examined, her gender was questioned and finally she was labelled a man. Santhi Soundarajan underwent humiliation like no other. And if that wasn't enough, the Indian track and field athlete was also stripped off her hard-earned 2006 Asian Games silver and subsequently the 11 other medals she had won for her country.

Having failed a gender test, Santhi was diagnosed with hyperandrogenism, which is characterized by circulation of excessive testosterone in the female body. Banned from participating in athletics and all her achievements wiped out, Santhi fell into such despair that she even tried to kill herself.

But, who gets to decide the definition of a woman? Santhi did not fail a gender test, rather she failed to meet IOC's definition of what constitutes 'female'. She was branded as a male and as a cheat, yet she is neither.

After a decade-long struggle and innumerable hardships, a part of Santhi's glory was restored after the Tamil Nadu Sports Minister K Randiarajan appointed her as a permanent athletic coach under Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. But, for Santhi, the justice came a tad too late.

Do read & share pic.twitter.com/VNORzzTV8c — Santhi Soundarajan (@SanthiSoundrajn) December 25, 2016

Santhi was 25 when she was stripped off her medals in 2006. A career that looked bright was brought to an end at a time when all sorts of possibilities lay in front of her. Today, Santhi is 35 and even if the Indian authorities have decided to restore her achievements and offer her a coaching role, the fact that India lost a potential medal winner in athletics, clearly stands out.

As we enter into a New Year, here's the story of India's forgotten star who fought against all odds to re-emerge as a national hero.

Early Struggles

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Born into a poor family of brick-kiln labourers in a rural village of southern Tamil Nadu, Santhi grew up in a 20-by-5 hut alongside four of her younger siblings. With a family income not exceeding Rs 300 a week, Santhi overcame malnutrition as a child to become a middle-distance runner.

While her parents travelled to the other town to work, Santhi was in charge of taking care of her younger siblings. But, she found adequate support from her grandfather who, being an accomplished runner himself, taught her to run on a open stretch of dirt outside their hut.

Making Of A Champion

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It was in the eighth grade when Santhi made her presence felt after winning a tin cup at an interschool competition. Santhi went on to win 13 more cups at multiple school events. Realising her potential, Santhi's sports coach recruited her at his high school.

The school paid for her tuition and provided her with hot lunches. It was also the first time Santhi had ever eaten three meals a day in her life. Soon, she got a scholarship from Arts college in Pudukkottai and the following year, she transferred to a college in Chennai.

Santhi recorded the national record for the women's 3000-metres steeplechase clocking 10:44:65 seconds. In July 2005, she won the 800m, 1500m and 3000m events at a national meet in Bangalore. Her domination at home earned her a spot in the Indian contingent for the 2005 Asian Championships in Incheon where she bagged a silver medal in the 800m event.

Fall From Grace

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The year 2006 was arguably the biggest year for Santhi. The ever-improving athlete was chosen to represent India at the coveted Asian Games. In the 800m event, Santhi repaid the faith of her coaches by clinching the silver medal with a timing of 2:03:16 seconds, beating the likes of Viktoriya Yalovtseva from Kazakhstan.

But, as the nation prepared itself to celebrate the triumph of her daughter, their jubilation quickly turned into sorrow, culminating into sheer agony and humiliation for Santhi. Her silver medal was questioned and subsequently taken away after she failed a gender test, establishing that she does not possess the sexual characteristics of a woman.

After being told that she couldn't compete in sports, Santhi returned to her village in humiliation and promptly fell into serious depression. Months later, she tried to kill herself by ingesting a type of poison used for veterinarians.

Reeling Under Fate's Bitter Blow

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In 2007, the Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi awarded Santhi a TV set and a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million despite failing the gender test at the Asian Games. Santhi spent her reward money on her students - an average of 68 (trainees) who aren't charged any fee.

By 2009, her academy was reaping benefits with her trainees bagging the first and third position at the Chennai marathon. However, in order to make ends meet, Santhi was forced to work as a daily-wager in a brick klin, slogging eight hours under a scorching sun to earn Rs 200 a day.

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While Santhi was abandoned by her country, the tale of South Africa's middle-distance runner Caster Semenya is a contrasting story altogether. Semenya, who also failed a gender test at the 2009 Berlin World Championship, was thoroughly backed by her country.

The Proteas fought hard to safeguard Semenya's dignity and position in world sports which eventually resulted in the International Association of Athletics Federations revoking the ban on her in 2011. And at the 2012 London Olympics, Semenya was made the flag-bearer of South Africa.

Justice Or Settlement?

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In March 2016, Santhi filed an RTI petition to seek her gender test report, communications, correspondence related to the 2006 Asian Games. But, she received a negative contradicting reply from them.

It wasn't until September when the National Commission fro Scheduled Castes (NCSC) served a notice to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in response to Santhi's petition. And finally in December, Santhi received her appointment order for a permanent athletic coach under Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.

But, despite getting a government job after three years of hardship, Santhi's biggest honour - the 2006 Asian Games silver - is yet to be restored. The medals are the symbol of an athlete's hard work and dedication. So, rather than providing Santhi the sympathy, let's hope that the Indian authorities rally behind their athletes to ensure that no other sportsperson undergoes a similar fate.

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