Charles Borromeo won the 800 metres at the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi in 1:46.81, a Games record, in front of a home crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. No Indian man won the event at the Asian Games again until Manjit Singh in 2018. Borromeo, a Tata Steel employee from Tamil Nadu, also ran at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Name: Charles Borromeo
Born: 1 December 1958, Devakottai, Tamil Nadu
Sport: Athletics
Event: 800 metres
Devakottai and Tata Steel
Borromeo was born on 1 December 1958 in Devakottai in Sivaganga district. He developed as a middle-distance runner in Tamil Nadu and joined Tata Steel, which supported a number of the country’s leading athletes. He won gold at the Pakistan National Games and competed in meets in Japan and China in the early 1980s.
Delhi 1982
The 1982 Asian Games were the biggest sporting event India had staged. In the 800m final on 26 November, Borromeo won in 1:46.81, ahead of Kim Bok-joo of South Korea and Falah Naji of Iraq. It was a Games record and the first time an Indian had run under 1:47 on home soil. He was the first Tata employee to win an Asian Games gold, and the company named him its best sportsman in 1984.
Los Angeles 1984 and after
He represented India at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the 800m but did not get beyond the early rounds. In 1985 he captained the Indian team at the Asian Championships in Jakarta and the South Asian Federation Games in Dhaka, winning silver at both. Recurring knee problems forced him to retire in 1986, aged 28.
He received the Arjuna Award in 1982 and the Padma Shri in 1984. After retiring he worked in sports administration with Tata Steel and as national sports director of Special Olympics Bharat. He has since worked with schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu on talent spotting and coached young athletes in Gujarat.
Career record and honours
- Asian Games gold medal, 800m: Delhi 1982, 1:46.81 (Games record)
- Asian Championships silver medal, 800m: Jakarta 1985
- South Asian Federation Games silver medal: Dhaka 1985
- Olympic appearance: Los Angeles 1984
- Arjuna Award (1982)
- Padma Shri (1984)
