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2026-04-24T12:01:40Z

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{{short description|Indian athlete}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| image = File:Gopi-Thumbnail.jpg
| image_size = 
| alt =
| caption = Gopi in 2016
| 
| birth_name =
| full_name =
| nickname =
| nationality = Indian
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1988|05|24}}
| birth_place = [[Wayanad]], [[Kerala]], India
| occupation =
| years_active =
| height = 
| weight = 
| spouse =
| website = 
| 
| country = India
| sport = [[Track and field]]
| event = [[10,000 metres]]<br/>[[Marathon]]
| club =
| turnedpro =
| coach =
| 
| worlds = Asian Marathon Championship Gold Medal 2017
| regionals =
| nationals =
| olympics =
| commonwealth =
| pb = [[Marathon]]: 2:12:23 ([[Valencia]] 2025)
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country|{{IND}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Asian Athletics Championships|Asian Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2017 Asian Athletics Championships|2017 Bhubaneswar]]|[[2017 Asian Athletics Championships – Men's 10,000 metres|10,000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[South Asian Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2016 South Asian Games|2016 Guwahati/Shillong]]|[[Athletics at the 2016 South Asian Games|10000m]]}}
}}

'''Thonakal Gopi''' aka '''Thanackal Gopi''' (born 24 May 1988)<ref>{{cite web|title=Thanackal Gopi|url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/gopi-thonakal|accessdate=14 August 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817095003/https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/gopi-thonakal|url-status=dead}}</ref> is an Indian athlete who has qualified to represent [[India at the 2016 Summer Olympics]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://trackfield.in/2016/07/03/indian-marathoners-bharat-at-rio-16/|title=Indian Marathoners – Bharat at Rio '16 – Track and Field Sports News|access-date=2016-07-29}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> in the [[Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|marathon event]]. He is also in the [[Indian Army]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.sportstarlive.com/athletics/gopi-hits-marathon-jackpot-in-first-attempt/article8116762.ece|title=Gopi hits marathon jackpot in first attempt|first=Nandakumar|last=Marar|date=17 January 2016|work=sportstarlive.com|accessdate=29 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://trackfield.in/2016/07/03/indian-marathoners-bharat-at-rio-16/|title=Indian Marathoners – Bharat at Rio '16 – Track and Field Sports News|work=trackfield.in|accessdate=29 July 2016}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref><ref name="IAAF">{{cite web |url=https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/india/thanackal-gopi-307071 |title=IAAF Profile |last=Gopi |first=Thanackal |access-date=29 July 2016}}</ref> He is the first and so far the only Indian athlete to win a gold medal in the Asian Marathon Championship.

== Career ==
At age 21, he joined as a general recruit, starting as a Hawildar at the Army Artillery Center in Hyderabad and completed the 9 month mandatory Army training.<ref name=":1" />

Typically a 10,000m athlete, he was designated to keep Nitendra Rawat on track for the first 30 km so that Rawat may qualify for the Olympics with a timing of 02:15 at the 2016 Mumbai marathon. However, Gopi found the distance comfortable and kept going to complete as the 2nd Indian (11th overall, right behind Rawat). He says he never felt the anticipated fatigue of the last 5 km, even though he was bracing his body for it. His VO2 Max is around 84 (ml of Oxygen used in 1 min per kg of bodyweight, comparable to [[Lance Armstrong]]), with a resting heart rate of around 45bpm.

In addition to winning the 2014 Gold Medal in the 10,000 meter National Open Athletics and the 2016 Gold Medal in the [[2016 South Asian Games|South Asian Games]] with a new [[List of South Asian Games records in athletics|Games Record]], Gopi represented India in the 2016 Asian Cross Country Championships. He represented [[India at the 2016 Summer Olympics]], qualifying with a Marathon time of 02:16:15 in the 2016 Mumbai Marathon along with two other Indian marathoner men, [[Kheta Ram]] and Nitendra Singh Rawat.

== Competition Record ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Competition
!Venue
!Position
!Event
!Time
!Reference
|-
|2014
|National Open Athletics Championships
|New Delhi, India
|{{won|place=1st}}
|10,000 meters
|29:32:26
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indianathletics.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/afi-results-2014-AFI-Website.xls |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2016-08-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314051532/http://indianathletics.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/afi-results-2014-AFI-Website.xls |archivedate=2016-03-14 }}</ref>
|-
|2015
|Airtel Delhi Half Marathon
|New Delhi, India
|2nd Indian / 19th Overall
|Half marathon
|1:02:45
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://adhm.procamrunning.in/race-results/|title=Race Results - Airtel Delhi Half Marathon|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref>
|-
|2016
|Mumbai Marathon
|Mumbai, India
|2nd Indian / 11th Overall
|Marathon
|2:16:15
|<ref name="IAAF" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/Gopi-Kheta-Ram-qualify-for-Olympics-Rawat-sets-course-record/articleshow/50614115.cms|title=Gopi, Kheta Ram qualify for Olympics; Rawat sets course record - Times of India|website=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/mumbai-marathon-2016-gopi-kheta-ram-qualify-for-olympics-rawat-sets-course-record/article8116704.ece|title=Gopi, Kheta Ram qualify for Olympics; Rawat sets course record|date=2016-01-17|newspaper=The Hindu|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X|access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/more-than-40000-people-participate-in-the-mumbai-marathon-2016-2587904.html?photos=all|title=More than 40,000 people participate in the Mumbai Marathon 2016 - Firstpost|date=2016-01-17|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://english.mathrubhumi.com/sports/athletics/rawat-sets-course-record-gopi-kheta-ram-qualify-for-rio-english-news-1.804736|title=Rawat sets course record; Gopi, Kheta Ram qualify for Rio|access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.asianage.com/other-sports/gopi-t-kheta-ram-seal-rio-berths-213|title=Gopi T, Kheta Ram seal Rio berths {{!}} The Asian Age|access-date=2016-08-01}}</ref>
|-
|2016
|South Asian Games
|Guwahati, India
|{{won|place=1st}}
|10,000 meters
|29:10:53 [[List of South Asian Games records in athletics|GR]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://indianathletics.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/final-results-12th-south-asian-games-athletics-2016.pdf|title=2016 South Asian Games Results|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223211520/http://indianathletics.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/final-results-12th-south-asian-games-athletics-2016.pdf|archivedate=2016-02-23}}</ref>
|-
|2016
|Summer Olympics
|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|1st Indian / 25th Overall
|Marathon
|2:15:25
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/athletics-mens-marathon|title=2016 Summer Olympic Games Results|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=|archive-date=2016-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922185531/https://www.rio2016.com/en/athletics-mens-marathon|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|2017
|IAAF World Championships
|London, UK
|1st Indian / 28th Overall
|Marathon
|2:17:13
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/iaaf-world-championships-london-2017-5151/results/men/marathon/final/result|title=IAAF: Marathon Result {{!}} IAAF World Championships London 2017 {{!}} iaaf.org|website=iaaf.org|access-date=2017-08-09}}</ref>
|}

== Personal life ==
Born in [[Wayanad]] district of the state of [[Kerala]]. The son of Wayanad farmers, Gopi is an only child who helped his parents grow rice and ginger while he grew up on their small area of land. Gopi went to Kakkavayal Govt. Higher Secondary School<ref name=":0" /> and used to consistently participate in school and college meets.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/X93NpVqn5aO3VnC0tq6bzN/Cool-runnings-Indias-marathon-men.html|title=Cool Runnings: India's marathon men|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}</ref> He began a bachelor's degree in Economics at [[Mar Athanasius College of Engineering|Mar Athanasius College]] in Kothamangalam, Kerala, but dropped out in the third year when he passed the Army fitness test and joined the Indian Army at Age 21.<ref name=":1" /> His home state of Kerala still produces the maximum number of track athletes in India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

He is the only earning member of his family and sends his savings home, except for a monthly purchase shoes (priced at roughly Rs 10,000 per pair) to accommodate the number of miles that the athlete runs each month. As of mid 2016, he does not have any corporate sponsorship and has to purchase his own shoes.<ref name=":1" /> He and his fellow athletes spend 11 out of 12 months of the year away from home and without meeting their families, a sacrifice that they must make in order to compete on the world stage.<ref name=":1" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{sports links}}

{{Footer Asian Marathon Championship men's winners}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopi, Thonakal}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1988 births]]
[[Category:People from Wayanad district]]
[[Category:Athletes from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian men marathon runners]]
[[Category:Indian men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for India]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:South Asian Games gold medalists for India]]
[[Category:South Asian Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for India]]
[[Category:Asian Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian sportsmen]]

Thonakal Gopi - Revision history

Rozella5628: made initial article needs work.