
Against all odds, these para athletes from Karnataka are chasing glory
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
They've fallen. Been frowned upon. Told they couldn't do it. But Rakshitha Raju, Harshita Tater, and Shilpa Kanchugarkoppalu were determined to script their stories and step into the limelight instead of shying away from it.
Hailing from different corners of Karnataka, these three para athletes carry the weight of struggles many will not see. For all three, the athletics track became a place of freedom. Their journeys are marked by quiet courage, unbreakable will, and a belief that they are more than the labels the world gave them.
At the recently concluded Indian Open Para Athletics International Championship in Bengaluru, the trio reminded all that the human spirit — when pushed — can soar far beyond what the eye can see.
Rakshitha Raju
When Rakshitha lost her farmer-parents at a young age, the world seemed stacked against her. Her mother Geetha passed away when she was two years old, and eight years later, she lost her father, Raju. Raised by a deaf grandmother, Lalithamma, who works on a farm in Mudigere, the Paris Paralympian found herself navigating a childhood shadowed by social alienation and financial burden.
Born blind, she recalls being mocked and written off.
"They would tell me I'm a waste," the 24-year-old recalled, "But my grandmother, being disabled herself, understood me."
At the age of 8, she got her first taste of running. A schoolteacher at Asha Kiran Blind School in Chikkamagaluru noticed her sprinting and encouraged her to pursue athletics.
Despite the odds, the two-time Asian Games medallist clung to her passion.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Her resilience and talent eventually caught the attention of her coach and guide runner — Rahul Balakrishna — at the national championships in Delhi, and he invited her to train at the Sports Authority of India in Bengaluru. "He has been my biggest support," she said gratefully.
But Rakshitha's dreams don't end on the track. Off the field, she harbours an equally ambitious goal — to crack the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) examination.
"I love studying," she said. "Becoming an IAS officer is my dream. I'm not eligible for IPS because I'm blind, but IAS allows me to serve."
Harshita Tater
For Bengaluru girl Harshita, sport wasn't a childhood dream — it was a lifeline that emerged during the chaos of Covid-19. As a medical student helping with patient care, the T37-category athlete (those with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that affects movement and coordination) began running to improve her lung capacity.
What started as a coping mechanism quickly transformed into a calling.
A year on, Harshita, who has made her mark at the national stage in 200m and 400m and is now enjoying a fine showing in long jump, made a bold decision — to leave MBBS behind to chase the finish line instead.
"Letting go of medicine was tough," admitted the athlete, who suffered a brain clot after a fall as a baby. "It was my childhood dream. But running gave me something I had never felt before — a sense of purpose," said Harshita, who was spotted by coach Gurkaran Singh, who continues to train her along with Vikram Aiyappa.
She switched to studying psychology, determined to one day blend sport and mental health into a meaningful career.
Life as a para athlete, however, hasn't been easy. "You don't have a fixed calendar. There's no personal life." Yet, she has no regrets. What keeps her going is the small, daily satisfaction of pushing her limits and the joy of seeing her young nephew proudly running around with her medals.
With her sights firmly set on the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles, Harshita is determined to break into the world's top 10.
"Discipline over motivation," said the 25-year-old, whose father has an electrical business and mother is a homemaker. "That's what sport has taught me," said the confessed foodie, who is running not just for medals, but also to inspire, include, and redefine possibility.
Shilpa Kanchugarkoppalu
Shilpa, a para athlete from Krishnarajanagar in Mysuru district, is proof it is never too late to chase a dream. At 29, under the guidance of coach Raghavendra SG, she took her first steps into sport — on a prosthetic leg.
Today, at 36, she is one of India's most promising para athletes in shot put and discus throw.
A childhood accident led to the amputation of her leg, but Shilpa, daughter of a farmer, never let that stop her. Initially a Kannada teacher, she gave up her job to dedicate herself to sport. "I started playing volleyball first, but it was a team effort. In athletics, I win or lose on my own — and that gives me strength," said Shilpa, who competes in the F57 category (athletes with lower limb impairments).
Shilpa trains at Sree Kanteerava Stadium under coach ED Eshan, and has won several medals at national and international events. Yet, financial challenges loom large. Coming from an economically backward background, she struggles to afford basic gear, let alone expensive equipment or artificial limbs.
Despite it all, she finds joy in sport. Now preparing for the upcoming Asian Para Games, Shilpa continues to battle the odds — not just on the field, but off it too — with quiet determination and unwavering passion. All she seeks is a chance and a little support.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Today
7 minutes ago
- India Today
Can Joe Root break Sachin's Test record? Ollie Pope backs batter to chase down Tendulkar
England batter Ollie Pope has backed Joe Root to break Sachin Tendulkar's record of most Test runs. Root, who went up to the No. 2 spot in the list of most runs in the Test format on Friday, July 25, is only 2,662 runs away from the legendary Indian in the post-match press conference, Pope said that while Root was not someone for milestones, he would surely be hungry to reach the summit of this elite list. Root, on Friday, batted magnificently to take England to 544/7 at the end of Day 3. Root scored 150, the 38th century of his Test career, and passed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become the 2nd highest run-getter of all not a massive one for milestones,' Pope said with a laugh. 'But that's a cool one - second most Test runs. I'm sure he was aware.'Pope also backed the batter to go past Sachin Tendulkar.'The way he's batting, I'm sure he'll be driven to be No. 1. He's got the hunger.'| Manchester Test Day 3 Scorecard |The Manchester Test match against India was the 157th of Root's career. This is the least number of matches played by a batter to reach a total of 13,000+ runs. Root averages 57.40 at the moment, the second best amongst the top 5 run-getters in the Test format. His average is only bettered by Ricky Ponting (58.72), who is now 3rd in the list of highest run-getters in the history of the the start of Covid-19, Root has been in exceptional form in Test cricket. Out of his 38 hundreds, 21 have come since March 2020. In this period, the batter has scored 5,810 runs in 65 Tests, towering over the rest of the batters in the world. The second-best batter in this period is Steve Smith, who has 3,250 runs from 46 needs to be mentioned that since the start of Covid-19, Root and the English players have played the most number of Test matches.- EndsMust Watch


New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- New Indian Express
China Open: Sat-Chi advance to semis, Unnati out in QFs
CHENNAI: Ace Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty punched theirticket to the semifinals but up-and-coming badminton star Unnati Hooda's dream run ended at the China Open Super 1000 on Friday. The reigning Asian Games champions picked a comfortable 21-18, 21-14 win over familiar foes Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia in 40 minutes. They will take on the world number two pair of Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the last four stage. This would be their third semi-final appearance, and second against the World number two pair. They lost to them in the Singapore open in May this year. 'There have been tournaments where we have not done so well, be it the Singapore Open, where we felt winning one game would be great, but we ended up in the semis which exceeded our expectations,' Chirag said. Previously, the duo stumbled at the pre-quarterfinal stage. The familiarity of the opponents helped them plan their game. 'In the first set we felt no matter what we had to be fast against them and get on the attack as much as possible. In the second set, we knew they couldn't (continue to) play fast, so we focused on the front end. We also ensured that they don't get creative on the net and not give them chances so we attacked their services,' Satwik said.


NDTV
13 hours ago
- NDTV
India Women's Team Batter Veda Krishnamurthy Retires From International Cricket
India batter Veda Krishnamurthy on Friday announced her retirement from international cricket but hinted that she will continue to be associated with the sport in some other role. Krishnamurthy played 48 ODIs and 76 T20Is, collecting 829 and 875 runs respectively. "From a small-town girl with big dreams to wearing the India jersey with pride. Grateful for everything cricket gave me the lessons, the people, the memories. It's time to say goodbye to playing, but not to the game. Always for India. Always for the team," she said in a social media post. From a small-town girl with big dreams to wearing the India jersey with pride. Grateful for everything cricket gave me the lessons, the people, the memories. It's time to say goodbye to playing, but not to the game. Always for India. Always for the team. — Veda Krishnamurthy (@vedakmurthy08) July 25, 2025 The 32-year-old, married to former Karnataka cricketer Arjun Hoysala, last played for the country during a women's T20I match against Australia at Melbourne in 2020. Her last one-day international was in 2018. Known for her hard-hitting with the bat, Krishnamurthy's last competitive game was for Gujarat Giants against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in last year's Women's Premier League. More than the numbers, Krishnamurthy's story was also one of grit and fight as she lost her mother (Cheluvamaba Devi) and sister (Vatsala Shivakumar) during the Covid-19 pandemic.