Three talented athletes who have triumphed over adversity

The Andhra trio of K. Rajitha (400m gold), S. Pallavi (64 kg weightlifting gold), and M. Sireesha (400m bronze) that won medals in the ongoing Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula (Haryana) has defied extreme hardship and financial constraints to make it thus far.

Rajitha, belonging to the Koya tribe, lost her father at a young age and her mother Bhadramma, a labourer, had to take care of five children in the village of Ramachandrapuram in East Godavari (AP). “It was a daily fight, to survive. But my mother, like a true warrior, never gave up,” said Rajitha.

First, it was Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh coaches Vamsi Sai Kiran and Krishna Mohan who saw the spark in Rajitha and later, SAI athletics coach N. Ramesh finetuned her skills in Hyderabad where she was training at her own expense.

Sireesha, 18, from Mandarada village in Srikakulam, is another shining example of an athlete’s triumph over adversity. Her father Krishnam Naidu, a labourer, met with a fatal accident in 2019 and since then it is her mother Gowri, also a labourer, who is taking care of the family.

“Despite the sudden demise of my father, who encouraged me to take up athletics when I was 14, my mother insisted that I continue my career as an athlete. For a long time, two meals were a luxury for us. This is my first medal in the Khelo India Games,” said Sireesha, who also trains under Ramesh as a SAI Academy trainee.

For his part, Ramesh said the main challenge was sustainability.

“Rajitha has the potential to get into the 4×400 m Indian team for she is a great learner and superb in race judgement. Undisturbed training and a job to support her family could see her go to places,” Ramesh informed The Hindu.

“Sireesha is one of those athletes who will fight for the place undeterred by any level of competition,” added Ramesh.

On Pallavi, Badeti Venkatramaiah, vice-president of the Weightlifting Federation of India from Eluru), said she had every quality to be a world beater. “Hope she gets the right kind of support at the right time,” he said.