DEC 28: India's first ever woman medallist at Olympic Games, Karnam Malleswari has been named Time magazine's South Asian of the Year.Malleswari, who bagged bronze in 69 kg weighlifting for women at Sydney Games earlier this year, received the highest number of votes in a poll by the magazine's website to finish ahead of her rivals who included Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and last year's recipient Chandrababu Naidu and LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran.Malleswari, who has set her eyes on gold at the Athens Games in 2004, said she was very satisfied with her achievement.``I am happy. I have a good family life and that is enough. I did what I could for my country,'' she told Time magazine in an interview.She, however was peeved at the lack of interest in the sport which she said had a good future in the country if groomed properly.``It is very strange. The public should explain why they are so crazy about a game like cricket, where there is cheating and match-fixing, but have no interest in an Olympic medal,''Malleswari said.``India has potential in this sport. If young people are trained properly and if the selection process is fair, then there are good chances for the future,''she added.
