From grit to glory, yet recognition eludes Telangana athlete Asagara Nandini

Despite her fabulous achievements in track and field, Nandini has to wait for a State Government job or even a decent house site.

Hyderabad: It may sound strange but it is one of those grim realities of Indian sport and more so from Telangana where the “more privileged and with the right connections” get the favours from the State Government while some one like 21-year-old Agasara Nandini, who has become recently only the third Indian athlete to win a heptathlon gold in the Asian championship in South Korea, is still in search of a job.

By all means, Nandini scripted success defying all odds by virtue of her strong points – speed, intelligence and wonderful fighting spirit.  But, little did she realise that even an outstanding athlete of her stature, Nandini has to wait for a State Government job or even a decent house site despite her fabulous achievements in track and field.

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Nandini  says she is gunning for glory in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics but at the same time she is conscious of the fact that it is never going to be easy. For, she has to stay focussed, maintain the desired fitness levels and most importantly has to be consistent in the run-up to the Olympics qualification cycle for Los Angeles.

Ever since Dr. V.S. Alugu Varsini, Secretary of the Society, felicitated Nandini on her return from the recent Asian gold, there is optimism that some justice would be meted out to this gifted athlete.

“Asian gold is just the beginning. My next goal is to win Olympic gold for India. This is not the time to rest, it’s time to train harder, aim higher, and stand tall on the global podium,” Nandini said even while acknowledging the complete support and professional training provided by the Gurukul system.

For the record, Nandini migrated from Karnataka to Hyderabad in search of livelihood and the spark in her was first spotted when she was in the 10th standard at TSWREIS Narsingi Campus and the then Secretary Dr.R.S. Praveen Kumar saw to it that she was admitted in 2017 into a long-term athletics residential training camp initiated by the State Government under SC Gurukuls.

Dr. Rama Laxman, a senior official, recalls that Nandini used to travel from Narsingi SC Gurukul to the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad. There, she trained under expert coaches Shaji and Nagaraju, while receiving voluntary technical guidance from the SAI athletics coach Nagapuri Ramesh. And, the advanced training through Gopichand Academy partnership only helped her cause further.

But, now she badly needs a job for sure for herself and for her family!