Last Updated: October 27, 2023, 16:30 IST
Rakshitha Raju hails from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka.
She was delighted to win a gold medal at the Asian Para Games and now shifts her focus to the Paralympics.
India has been performing exceptionally well at the fourth Asian Para Games, which is currently being held in Hangzhou, China. On Thursday, October 26, India surpassed its best-ever gold medal tally. India is close to reaching the 100-medal mark. The Indian para-athletes have been performing well in almost all sports and are making the country proud. Now, it has been found that another para-athlete named Rakshitha Raju, who hails from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka, has won a gold medal.
According to reports, visually impaired runner Rakshitha Raju has won a gold medal for India in the women’s 1500-metre T11 category at the Asian Para Games 2023. She defended her gold medal, which she had won previously at the Jakarta Para Games, and clocked a personal best timing of 5 minutes, 21.45 seconds. At the end of the race, Rakshita finished second behind China’s Shanshan, but she was later disqualified by the technical officials for violating the rules. In the end, the first position was given to Rakshitha, and she won a gold medal.
Rakshitha runs with a guide runner, Rahul Balakrishna. She was delighted to win a gold medal at the Asian Para Games and now shifts her focus to the Paralympics, which are expected to happen soon. In an interview, she said, “I have been waiting for this moment since last year, but it got postponed due to COVID-19. Now, I will break this news to my grandmother. I am sure she will be very happy to know about it.”
She used to study at the Ashakiran Blind School in Chikkamagaluru. Rakshitha shifted her focus to participate in the Paralympics in 2017. There, she was guided and mentored by Balakrishna, who also became her coach.
Rakshitha has been a huge inspiration to many people. Many young people will also get the courage to represent our country in various sports.
