Ashwini Nachappa

Ashwini Nachappa, renowned in both the field of athletics and the Telugu film industry, was born on October 21, 1967. Brought up in Bengaluru, Karnataka, she attended KALS for her schooling. Her school teachers and principal saw potential in athletics and motivated her to train and compete. At the age of 12, she represented Karnataka in the National Games. In 1981, she competed in the Interstate Championships held (Bangalore) in the Under 16 category. She earned praise for her efforts and received the 'Most Promising Athlete of the Meet' Award.

In the 1980s, she underwent training under various coaches, including Sunil Abraham. It was in this decade that she rose to fame. She surpassed P. T Usha (former Indian athlete) in two races. Thus, she came to be known as India's Flo Jo (Florence Griffith Joyner of India). In 1984, she participated in the South Asian Federation Games (Nepal) and won two silver medals. In the 1988 South Asian Federation Games (Pakistan), she grabbed three Gold medals. She was presented with the Arjuna Award in 1988 to recognise her accomplishments. In 1990, she won a silver medal in Asian Games (China). In the New Delhi National Open Meet(1990), she surpassed P. T. Usha and won a gold. 

Besides athletics, Nachappa excelled in the film industry as well. In 1991, she acted in her biographical film Ashwini, directed by B. C. Mouli. Nachappa won the Nandi Award for Best Debut Actress and the Tamil Cine Film Critics Award. In 1993, she acted in two movies, Inspector Ashiwini and Adarsam. She is a dedicated social worker and educationist as well. 

She founded Karaumbiah's Academy for Learning & Sports in Coorg, Karnataka. In 2010, she founded Ashwini's Sports Foundation (ASF). She has been the president of the Bangalore Urban District Athletic Association. She acts as a trustee for the non-governmental organisation (NGO) named Parikrama. She is also a member of a non-profit organisation - Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC). She has been married to Maneyapanda Datta Karumbaiah and has two children.