New Delhi: From dreaming to learn how to board a train as a child, Rakshitha Raju’s goals kept getting bigger. Now, the visually impaired athlete from Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, wants to win a gold at the Paris Paralympics 2024. On Sunday, she will become the first Indian female athlete with a visual impairment to compete in the Women’s 1500m T11 race.
“I had never heard about a place called Paris. I only knew about America,” said Raju (23), who was raised by her grandmother in Chikkamagaluru after the death of her parents. Her participation in the Women’s 1500m Running T-11 Category alone is a milestone in India’s sporting history. “Now, winning an Olympic gold is my sole wish. I want to win the first gold medal of this season,” said Raju.
As a child, when she told her PT teacher that she dreamt of boarding a train, he advised her to learn how to run. At first, running was her sole motivation to compete in local races. But she kept winning medals until the rest of the country took notice of her.
“She is an enormously talented, determined, and gutsy young woman,” said Sharda Ugra, an independent sports journalist
Raju has proven her talent on the global stage, clinching gold in both the 1500m and 800m events at the World Para Athletics Junior Championships in Switzerland. Last year, she won gold once again at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, dominating the women’s 1500m T11 category with a personal best time of 5 minutes, and 21.45 seconds. Although she missed the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, Raju plans to make up for it this time around.
“She is an enormously talented, determined, and gutsy young woman,” said Sharda Ugra, an independent sports journalist who first met Raju at a panel discussion in Bengaluru. She sees her journey and success as an example of how transformative the experience can be.
“For someone like her, reaching the point where she’s representing India at the Paralympics is an extraordinary achievement in itself. Rakshitha has found herself through sport,” added Ugra.
Running was her ticket
Raju quickly learned that India was no country for people with disabilities.
“I was mocked by everyone, even my relatives. And, my only goal was to go away from all the negativity. Now if I try to go back and think about the past, I get scared. It is pierced with thorns,” she said over WhatsApp.
Her mother died when she was only two years old, and her father when she was 1o. She and her younger brother were raised by their grandmother, who has a speech and hearing impairment. Growing up, Raju was convinced that she was the only blind person in the world.
“I would feel sorry for myself, wondering why I alone had been punished.”
In this pressure cooker environment, running was her stress relief valve. With every race, she discovered a world beyond Chikkamagaluru. It transformed her outlook on life. It fed her competitive spirit. It pushed her to do better.
“I’m grateful for the journey. I prefer not to dwell on the past,” she said. And while she admires para-athlete Mohammad Shavad, her inspiration comes from within. “I am inspired by my own life. My experiences have taught me a lot. I focus on only moving forward — in a positive way,” she said.
The transformation began once she enrolled at Ashakirana School for the Blind in Chikkamagaluru. Under the guidance of her PE teacher, she learned how to run. He assured her that she could travel to different cities and states on trains if she became a professional runner.
Trains were the dream, and running was her ticket. Now, she’s flipped the story. Running is her passion, and winning a gold is her dream.
Last year, after she won a gold medal at the Asian Para Games, she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who later congratulated her on X.
“Her exceptional performance and unwavering dedication fill the hearts of India with joy and admiration. May she continue to sprint towards even more illustrious achievements,” he tweeted.
During one of her early competitions, she crossed paths with her current coach and guide runner, Rahul Balakrishna. Like Ugra, he saw Raju’s raw talent and ambition. He took a loan of Rs 2 lakh to fund the training and travelling expenses for athletic meets.
In Paralympic track events, visually impaired athletes classified as T11, T12, or T13 race with a guide-runner by their side. Together, they form a synchronised team, with the guide-runner helping the athlete stay on course. According to the Paralympic website, these para-athletes “also need special equipment: eye patches to be placed under opaque glasses and a guiding tether to put all athletes on the same level, whatever their visual impairment.”
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Fire in her belly
“We just couldn’t ignore the fire in her belly. She wanted to do something with her life,” said Deepthi Bopaiah, CEO, GoSports.
In 2019, Raju’s performance at track meets caught the attention of the Bengaluru-based GoSports Foundation. In the 15 years since it was founded, the NGO has represented athletes like Paralympic gold medalist Sumit Antil, Avani Lekhara, and Manoj Sarkar.
The foundation stepped in to help her financially and hone her skills as an athlete. The support she gets includes coaching fees, nutrition advice, travel expenses to participate in tournaments, and even sporting gear.
“One of our athlete managers spotted her during a state-level competition. And, we just couldn’t ignore the fire in her belly. She wanted to do something with her life,” said Deepthi Bopaiah, CEO, GoSports.
The not-for-profit organisation is supporting 16 para-athletes in India’s 84-member contingent this year. GoSports is working toward creating an inclusive society where people with disabilities achieve their full potential under their sports programme, supported by a CSR initiative of one of their donors.
“If we support the dreams of one Rakshitha, 100 more Rakshithas will be inspired to get into sports. That’s our goal,” Bopaiah added.
After winning gold at the Paralympics, Raju has trained her attention on the next milestone. She wants to become an IAS officer.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)