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'People should stop treating us as second-class citizens'

Rakshita and Radha share about their journey
Last Updated 03 April 2021, 20:54 IST

Karnataka’s Rakshitha Raju and Radha Venkatesh broke into the limelight after winning medals at the Asian Para Games 2018.

Rakshita (19) from Baluguddanahalli, a hamlet in Chikkamagaluru, and Radha (21) from Bammasamudra, a village in Chitradurga, have become consistent performers in various national and international competitions ever since.

While Rakshitha — a 1,500 metres runner under the T-11 category — is completely visually impaired, Radha runs 1,500M and 400M in the T-12 category and is partially impaired.

The duo, currently ranked among the top-10 in the world in their respective categories, are touted as medal-hopefuls in the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.

Both girls were spotted by Rahul Balakrishna, their coach, as students of the Asha Kirana Andha Makkala Shale (Government School for the Blind), in Chikkamagaluru, four years ago.

Speaking to DH's Hita Prakash, Rakshita and Radha share about their journey.

How has sport influenced your life?

We were born in villages without any knowledge about sports. It has given us everything we have today and made us confident.

How supportive have the central/state government and associations been?

We couldn’t have achieved as much as we have without the support and guidance of PCI, KOA and both the central and state governments. From the time para-athletes are treated on par with the able-bodied sportspersons in terms of schemes, cash awards and recognition, things have only been moving in an upward direction.

How are your preparations for Tokyo coming along?

Though the Paralympics got postponed, we never lost sight of our goal and have been working hard to keep improving. The support we have received from the Sports Authority of India, in Bengaluru - our base - and the Go Sports Foundation has helped us in being focused at training. With a few months left to catch the flight to Japan, we hope to bring laurels to the country.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced as a visually impaired athlete?

Finding a suitable guide runner is the biggest challenge for a blind athlete as very few understand their importance. People think any able-bodied, sighted person can run with us. Whereas we work as a team and the guides have to be treated as professional athletes too. There are many talented visually impaired runners who fail to make it big because they are unable to find a good guide runner.

How can things improve for para-athletes such as yourself?

We have a long way to go before changing the mindset of society as a whole towards people with disabilities and not just focus on the sporting world. Facilities should become para-friendly as second nature rather than treating us as second-class citizens. We will only feel a sense of belonging when the acceptance broadens.

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(Published 03 April 2021, 20:39 IST)

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