Jodhpur: Achieving success becomes extremely tough when one is battling physical limitations. Three para swimmers from Rajasthan have made their weaknesses their greatest strengths and now wish to win the Olympics.
Despite their disabilities, the two women from Jodhpur district won several medals at the national and state levels and now got jobs. Following their footsteps, a young girl who became handicapped following a road accident in her childhood, has come forward to fulfill her dream of a swimmer.
Today, Puran is a clerk in the health department and got the job because of her national-level para swimming medal. She, however, has not left practising. The department has given her four hours a day for her practice. She contracted polio when she was three years old due to which one of her hands got damaged.
Her father, who worked as a labourer to raise his seven children, was diagnosed with cancer. Puran's family members suggested her to leave studies and work on the farm but she continued studying till class 12. After topping the exam she hoped to get Gargi Award but could not qualify since it was given only to the regular students.
Later, she took admission in college and received the Indira Gandhi Award in the first year of graduation. Her prize money was used in the household expenses. After graduation, she went to the Gaushala grounds to learn para swimming.
"When I met coach Shera Ram, he encouraged me and I started swimming. After a month, the state-level games took place in which I won three gold and silver medals. After this, national championship was held in Udaipur, where I won two gold and one silver medals. From 2017 till date, I have won more than 25 gold medals in state and national championships in athletics and swimming. I continued playing even after marriage in 2021. I got selected in a government job for my merit in sports. Now, preparations are on for the Para Olympics," she said.
Kamala, another victim of polio, who is unable to walk properly said people would often look at her with disdain. After passing class 10, she was admitted to a school for specially abled children. "Then, I met my swimming coach who told me about para swimming. I was asked to come to Jodhpur and given training. During this period, I got married but did not get my husband's support and my relationship was on the verge of ending. The legal battle is underway. But, I did not give up swimming," Kamala said.
In 2022, she got two gold and one bronze medals at the state level. After which, she got a bronze medal in the national competition held in Guwahati. With the national level certificate, she got selected as a grade-3 teacher but her joining is still pending. She continues practising swimming daily and aspires to win a medal in Para Olympics for the country.
Jiya's hand was amputated after her school bus met with an accident. She was in class 3 at that time and went through an unimaginable trauma. Her family members took encouraged her and told her that it was not an end. She continued her studies and soon got inclined towards para sports and chose swimming. Shera Ram, who is the master coach of para swimming started grooming Jiya.
In 2016, she won two silver and two bronze medals in the Para Athlete State Competition. After this, she continuously participated in para swimming competitions and won medals. She bagged three gold medals in national para swimming in 2022.
Coach Shera Ram said that Jiya is now in class 9 and has a lot of potential. She can go very far, he said.
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