Telangana’s Sirichandana making her mark in powerlifting

Despite not having adequate facilities, Sirichandana managed to win medals at the State and national level

Karimnagar: A girl from a poor family, Thudi Sirichandana, is making a mark for herself in the sports of powerlifting.

Despite not having adequate facilities, she has managed to win medals at the State and national level. In a major achievement, she was selected for Asian Powerlifting Championship competitions to be held in Hong Kong in the month of May.

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A native of Marrigadda of Gangadhara mandal, Sirichandana entered the powerlifting arena when she was in Class 6, despite her parents not floating along with the idea. Now, she is doing her B.Com (CA) first year in SRR Government Degree College, Karimnagar. Starting to practice the game in 2015, she has participated in six national and 24 State events in the last nine years.

She won a bronze medal in the Junior National Classic Powerlifting championship held in Kerala. She also won silver medals at the SGF games held in Hyderabad in 2018. She also won medals in national events held in Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Maharashtra by participating in the 52 kg category.

Sirichandana got the eligibility to participate in the Asian Powerlifting Championship competitions by showcasing an excellent performance in the National Federation Cup Powerlifting Championship held from December 27 to 29 in Indore. She got the bronze medal in the 52 kg category.

Sharing the troubles she had to face to reach the present position, Sirichandana said that initially, her parents Srinivas and Gangavva refused to allow her to go for powerlifting stating that being a girl, it was “not proper” for her. However, when she started excelling in the game and began winning medals, they began encouraging her.

When asked about the reasons for selecting powerlifting, she said she had chosen the game with the encouragement of her coach B Mallesham. Moreover, she had a strong belief that she could excel in the game. Expressing happiness for being selected for the Asian powerlifting championship, she expressed confidence to win medals in the event. Winning a medal in the World Open Powerlifting Championship is her goal.

Sirichandana is seeking help from philanthropists to participate in the Asian games. It requires Rs 3.50 lakh for visa, tickets and other expenditure. Since she hails from a poor family, her parents were not in a position to spend such a big amount, Coach and Karimnagar Powerlifting Association district secretary Mallesham said.