A coast with a habit of showing up
On 29 September 2026, an Indian women's relay team won Asian Games gold in Aichi-Nagoya. One of its four runners, M.R. Poovamma, grew up and studied in Mangaluru. A week later, Karnataka's government felicitated its Asian Games medallists at Vidhana Soudha, and at least two of the eight had coastal roots: Poovamma, and badminton's Ayush Shetty, from Karkala.
This is not a one-season story. Look back across the national teams and the same corner of the map keeps appearing: kabaddi, weightlifting, athletics, cricket, badminton.
The athletes
M.R. Poovamma (athletics). Born in Kodagu, raised and educated in Mangaluru. Asian Games medals in 2014, 2018 and 2026, and an Arjuna Award in 2015. Her story is in our profile: M.R. Poovamma: The Mangaluru-Raised Sprinter Who Is Still Winning Asian Games Gold at 36.
Ayush Shetty (badminton). Born on 3 May 2005 at Sanoor, near Karkala, he started at eight, coached by his father in the backyard. With few facilities at home, he travelled to Karkala and Mangaluru for better coaching before the family moved to Bengaluru, where he trains at the Prakash Padukone Academy. In April 2026 he reached the final of the Badminton Asia Championships, the first Indian man in 61 years to do so, and took silver. At the 2026 Asian Games he was part of India's men's team that won bronze.
Dhanalakshmi Poojary (kabaddi). From the Suratkal Idya area of Mangaluru, she studied at Alva's College, Moodbidri, as part of Alva's Sports Club programme, and played for Mangalore University in the All India Inter-University Games. She was part of the Indian women's team that won the Women's Kabaddi World Cup in Dhaka in November 2025, and she captained Karnataka at the 2025 Senior Federation Cup.
Mamatha Poojary (kabaddi). Known as the "kabaddi queen," she comes from a farming family in Hermunde village in Udupi district and graduated from Shree Gokarnatheshwara College, Mangalore. She won Asian Games gold in 2010 and 2014, captained India to the first women's Kabaddi World Cup in 2012, and received the Arjuna Award.
Gururaja Poojary (weightlifting). From Vandse near Kundapura in Udupi district, the son of a truck driver, he won Commonwealth Games silver in 2018 (56 kg) and bronze in 2022 (61 kg). On his return in 2022, he was received at Mangaluru airport before his Udupi felicitation.
Coastal Karnataka Athletes in National Circuits
| Athlete | Sport | Link to Mangaluru and the coast | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.R. Poovamma | Athletics (400 m, relay) | Raised and educated in Mangaluru | Asian Games relay gold, 2026 |
| Ayush Shetty | Badminton | Born near Karkala; early coaching in Karkala and Mangaluru | Asia Championships silver, April 2026; Asian Games team bronze |
| Dhanalakshmi Poojary | Kabaddi | From Suratkal, Mangaluru; Alva's and Mangalore University | Women's Kabaddi World Cup gold, Nov 2025 |
| Mamatha Poojary | Kabaddi | Udupi village; college in Mangalore | Asian Games gold, 2010 and 2014; Arjuna Award |
| Gururaja Poojary | Weightlifting | Vandse, Udupi district | Commonwealth Games silver 2018, bronze 2022 |
| KL Rahul | Cricket | Grew up in Surathkal; schooled in Mangaluru | India international |
Where the pipeline runs: Moodbidri
If one institution explains the track-and-field side of this story, it is Alva's Education Foundation at Moodbidri, about 34 km from Mangaluru.
Alva's has sent seven sportspersons to the Olympic Games between Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2020. Its sports adoption scheme picks athletes at national meets and gives them lodging, boarding and education; Dhanalakshmi Poojary completed her graduation and post-graduation under it. When the foundation began, the campus had no running track, and athletes had to be taken to Udupi and Mangaluru to practise. Today it has hosted the All India Inter-University Athletics Championship five times, in partnership with Mangalore University.
Among Alva's recent results: a long-jump bronze at the 2023 World University Games in Chengdu, and a 400 m and 400 m relay entry at the same Games.
Mangaluru-Area Institutions Behind the Athletes
| Institution | What it does | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Alva's Education Foundation, Moodbidri | Sports adoption scheme with lodging, coaching and education; hosts national-level meets | Seven Olympians 1996 to 2020; Dhanalakshmi Poojary's path |
| Mangalore University | Inter-university competition and the main university sports circuit | Dhanalakshmi Poojary captained it; hosts meets with Alva's and SDM College |
| SDM College, Ujire | Hosts university weightlifting championships | Gururaja Poojary inaugurated one |
| St Aloysius, Mangaluru | School and college where KL Rahul completed Class 12 | KL Rahul's schooling |
What the coast still needs
Athletes from the coast often point to the same thing: facilities. In reporting on Gururaja Poojary's journey, one South Indian sports outlet noted that inadequate sporting infrastructure in educational institutions has held back talent in the south. Alva's own early years, without a track on campus, tell the same story from the other side.
The good news is that the state is paying attention. After the 2026 Asian Games, Karnataka raised cash awards, offered recruitment and added Poovamma to its Target Olympics scheme for 2026-27. Our report: Poovamma and the state's felicitation.
How to follow, and join in
The coast's running calendar is growing: the Ideal Mangaluru Blue Run on 8 November, the Haleyangadi Seawalk Run on 15 November, Namma Run Mangalore on 20 December, the Udupi Full Marathon and the Udupi 113 Triathlon at Kaup.
Sports Events on Our Calendar
| Date | Event | Where | Our listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov | Ideal Mangaluru Blue Run 2026 | Mangaluru | Event page |
| 15 Nov | Haleyangadi Seawalk Run 2026 (Season 2) | Haleyangadi, Mangaluru | Event page |
| 20 Dec | Namma Run Mangalore 2026 | St Aloysius Pre-University, Mangaluru | Event page |
| 20 Dec | Udupi Full Marathon 2026 | Udupi | Event page |
| 25 Oct | Udupi 113 Triathlon 2026 | Kaup, Udupi | Event page |
The next Poovamma or Ayush Shetty is probably already running a school track or hitting a shuttle against a wall. This list will grow.
Read Next on Mangalore Diary
- M.R. Poovamma: The Mangaluru-Raised Sprinter Who Is Still Winning Asian Games Gold at 36
- Shiny Asma Saldanha: Udupi District's First Woman Commercial Pilot
- Prabhakar Kamath: The Man Who Made Mangaluru the Ice Cream Capital of India
- The Bus Stop That Looks Like a Bus: How Gurupura's Youth Rebuilt Bandasale's Bus Shelter
- Ideal Mangaluru Blue Run 2026
FAQ
Which Mangaluru-linked athletes compete for India?
Examples include sprinter M.R. Poovamma, badminton player Ayush Shetty, kabaddi players Dhanalakshmi Poojary and Mamatha Poojary, weightlifter Gururaja Poojary and cricketer KL Rahul. Each has a documented link to Mangaluru or coastal Karnataka.
Did Mangaluru-linked athletes win medals at the 2026 Asian Games?
Yes. M.R. Poovamma ran in India's gold-medal women's 4x400m relay team and the silver-medal mixed relay team. Ayush Shetty, from Karkala, was part of India's bronze-medal men's badminton team.
Who won the Women's Kabaddi World Cup from Mangaluru?
Dhanalakshmi Poojary, from Suratkal, was part of the Indian team that won the 2025 Women's Kabaddi World Cup in Dhaka.
What is Alva's Education Foundation's role in sports?
Based in Moodbidri, it runs a sports adoption scheme with coaching, lodging and education, hosts national-level inter-university meets, and has sent seven sportspersons to the Olympics between 1996 and 2020.
Is KL Rahul from Mangaluru?
He grew up in Surathkal, Mangaluru, and studied at NITK English Medium School and St Aloysius PU College. His birthplace is listed differently across sources, so we say only that he grew up in Mangaluru.
How can I follow sports in Mangaluru?
Our events calendar lists running events including the Ideal Mangaluru Blue Run (8 November) and Namma Run Mangalore (20 December).
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