Telangana’s golden boy Ravi Kiran dreams of Paralympic medal

Hyderabad: Telangana para athlete A Ravi Kiran, who clinched gold medal in javelin in the T35 event at the ISF World School Sport Games in Normandy in France on Friday, dreams of seeing the Indian flag fly high in Paralympics.

The student of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) is over the moon with this performance and said the victory will boost him to work hard and achieve big things in future. Playing in his first international event, the 18-year-old intermediate second year student from Shaikpet branch said, “I am very happy and feeling proud. I worked hard before this event with my coach Shaji sir and Nagapuri Ramesh sir at the Gachibowli Stadium. The training paid off,” he said.

Hailing from Annaram village in Kodepally Mandal, Mancherial, he belongs to a poor family. While his father passed away when Ravi Kiran was a kid, her mother works as a daily wager to support her family of five. But the financial woes and polio failed to deter this determined athlete. “We struggle with financial constraints. My three elder sisters are married and my mother is the only breadwinner in the family. If not for the (TSWREIS) school, I could not afford to compete in these events. I am very thankful to the society,” he said from Normandy.

Having started athletics just two years ago when he was in his Class X, he took to javelin and 100m events like a fish to the water. He impressed everyone in both categories and won gold medals in both events in Bhubaneshwar in national athletics championship to make it to the Indian team for this prestigious event.

“My dream is to win a gold medal for the country in the Paralympics. We have two more years for that and I will work hard for the events. But my immediate target is to win a medal in the under-21 World Championships later this year,” he added. He owes a lot of his success to another athlete Maddala Supriya who trains at the Gachibowli with coach Ramesh.

“My inspiration is Maddala Supriya akka who trains with us. She helped me and motivated me. She also gave me spikes for training. When I needed money for my diet, she was there to help me. I owe a lot to her. I also want to thank athletes Maheshwari and A Nandini who constantly support me during training,” he revealed.

200m bronze a big boost: Mayavati

Another TSWREIS student who made the country proud at the same event is N Mayavathi who clinched a bronze medal in the 200m events. Competing with top athletes from across the globe, the 18-year-old finished with a bronze after athletes from Brazil and France with a timing of 24.68 seconds.

“I expected this performance as I worked very hard with my coach Parushuram at the Dindi Sports Hostel. Though we didn’t have any special camp ahead of the event, I followed my routine. This win is a big boost for me,” she said from Normandy. The athlete, who hails from Kamepalli village from Nalgonda district, finished with a sixth place finish in the 100m event. “Given the competition, I was a bit scared initially. But I mustered my courage and told myself that I have nothing to lose. I wanted to give my best and I clinched a bronze,” said the athlete who dreams of winning an Olympic medal.

 

 

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