Here is all you need to know about Rezoana Mallick Heena, the Asian 400m champion, who is already a U18 and U20 Asian champion along with her age, height and religion
Rezoana Mallick Heena is on her way to becoming a household figure in Indian sports, and it all started with a secret Instagram account. She has an unquenchable desire to win and the pace to match.
Who is Rezoana Mallick Heena, biography, age, height, religion, hometown state, record
Even though she is still in her teen years, the Indian quarter-miler is the women’s 400m Asian U18 and U20 champion.
Great start on Day 1⃣ for 🇮🇳 at the Asian U20 Athletics Championship, Yecheon!
Rezoana Mallick Heena brings 1⃣st 🥇for 🇮🇳 in Women's 400m event. She clocks a timing of 53.31 secs to claim this feat 🥳
Congratulations on the 🥇 champ! pic.twitter.com/asrDwNd8PG
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) June 4, 2023
Who is Rezoana Mallick Heena?
Rezoana Mallick Heena’s athletic career didn’t exactly get off to a particularly exciting start when she was born on March 20, 2007, in the Sondanga village of West Bengal’s Nadia district. She is a Muslim by religion.
Rezoana Mallick HEENA. HEENA Rezoana Mallick. Country. India. Born. 20 MAR 2007. Athlete Code. 15045679. Age. 16. Height. 5 feet 7 inches
Rezoana Mallick Heena had no shortage of support when she first became interested in sports because her father Rezaul, mother Anima, and uncle Amir Ali had all competed in national kabaddi tournaments.
In reality, her father Rezaul, a teacher at a nearby local primary school, is a huge sports enthusiast. Even Rezoana’s sister, Shiny’s name was after Shiny Wilson, who won the silver medal in the women’s 400-meter dash at the 1986 Asian Games, inspired him to name his younger daughter after an athlete.
Rezoana started running when she was five years old, but despite her talent, she didn’t stand out in the top divisions. Despite having won medals at the district and state levels, Rezoana Mallick Heena, who was trained by local Aniruddh Pal Choudhary, was able to finish last when she took part in a national talent search in Mumbai.
Rezoana Mallick Heena’s Instagram break
In 2021, Rezoana Mallick Heena’s career took an unexpected turn, and it was made possible by the most unlikely of people- Instagram.
Rezoana surreptitiously set up an Instagram account using her father’s phone on a whim when she was a teenager and started following Indian athletes she loved, like national champion Priya Mohan. Arjun Ajay, a former national-level sprinter-turned-coach who trained Priya Mohan till early 2023, was another profile she followed.
Additionally, Rezoana used to share her own training videos on Instagram, which attracted Arjun Ajay’s notice. Arjun told The Hindu:
“I could see that she was training on a grass field in a rural area. She might not have had any great results but there was clearly potential.”
He further said that she stood about 5’7″ tall. She had good stride patterns. She had the impression that if she worked on her strength, Arjun believed he could pull a lot out of her from the way her foot hit the ground. He believed that this person could be pushed.
The young athlete’s visit to Ooty to train in Arjun’s academy was finally arranged after speaking with Rezoana, her uncle, and her father. Later on, Rezoana relocated to Bengaluru to train with Arjun.
Arjun, a modern coach who is heavily influenced by technology, worked with Rezoana’s style in addition to implementing some cutting-edge techniques. Rezoana’s DNA was tested in the Netherlands, and Arjun used the data to create a personalised training plan and nutrition for Rezoana.
Rezoana’s hair was even trimmed short by Arjun Ajay, which helped her time by a good few seconds. Rezoana Mallick Heena won the U16 300m national title in Guwahati in 2022 as a result of quick on-track progress. But in 2023, further achievements awaited the youthful runner.
Rezoana Mallick Heena achievements and personal bests
- Won the gold medal in the 2023 U16 Indian Open 400m race with a time of 53.22s.
- Broke Anjana Thamke’s previous U16 women’s 400m record, which stood at 54.57 seconds.
- At the U18 Asian Championships in Tashkent in 2023, won the gold medal in the girls’ 400 m with a time of 52.98s (personal best).
- Broke Bahrain’s world champion Salwa Eid Nasser’s record for the 400m in the U18 Asian Championships, which stood at 53.02 seconds.
- Broke Jisna Mathew’s eight-year-old national mark for the U18 women’s 400m (53.14s).
- At the U18 Asian Championships in Tashkent in 2023, she finished second in the girls’ 200 m with a time of 24.38s.
- Personal best in the women’s 200 metre heats of the Indian U18 Championships in Udupi in 2023 was 24.23 seconds.
- At the U18 Asian Championships in Tashkent in 2023, won a gold medal with the Indian girls medley relay team.
- Clocked 53.32s to win the gold medal in the women’s 400 m at the U20 Asian Championships in Yecheon in 2023.
- At the U20 Asian Championships in Yecheon, won a gold medal with the Indian girls’ 4x400m relay team.
- At the U20 Asian Championships in Yecheon, won a bronze medal with the Indian 4x400m mixed relay team in 2023.
- Participated in the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team that took home a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok.