Unstoppable! Rakshitha sprints to a gold

Chandra Prabhu | NT

Bengaluru: Rakshitha Raju, the first blind woman in India to bag a gold Medal in 2018, continues to make history by defending her T11 1500m Gold medal last week at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Behind those medals, is a story of complexities and blurred vision but also determination of the highest order and an appetite to be the absolute best.

Hailing from Balur Gudnahalli in Chikmagalur, Rakshitha's childhood was marred by deaths of loved ones and societal stigma.

"I lost my parents to a disease, my grandmother is deaf and my grand aunt is mentally challenged," she told News Trail.

The 11 years, the athlete said, were arduous. "We were looked at by people very differently. It was difficult," she recalled.

Starting out as a sprinter, Rakshitha was spotted by Rahul Balakrishna in 2016. Balakrishna, who set out to find a woman who could bring India a gold medal in the Paralympics, was triumphant, a year later at the Para Asian Games in Jakarta.

"It was my first time representing our country," she recalled. There were the usual nerves but her motivation continued to steer her.

"The humiliations I've faced fueled the fire in me, I was motivated to win the gold,” she recalled.

“The gold I won is a testament to my determination,” she said adding she has set her target on Paris.

Speaking to News Trail, Rahul Balakrishna said: “After guiding Shawadh JM to a bronze medal in the 2014 Para Asian Games, I aimed to find a woman who could do the same,” he said. Last week’s historic win has exceeded his expectations, he added.

‘K’taka failed to recognise us’

After her immense success in Hangzhou, Rakshitha was disappointed to learn the Karnataka government has not acknowledged her feat.

“No one from the sports department or the government has acknowledged our feat,” she said.

Rakshitha also hit out at the government for their lack of basic facilities.

“Karnataka does not have a functioning organisation for disabled athletes. We miss out on basic facilities like guides and coaches,'' she said.