Who is Anita? All you need to know about the Indian para-rower competing in the Paris 2024 Paralympics
Among the 84 athletes representing India at the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympics in 12 sporting competitions, para-rower Anita is one of those who will hope to bring home a medal for her nation from the Paralympic Games. The Paris 2024 Paralympics is scheduled to take place between August 28 and September 8.
Anita, who qualified for the Paris 2024 Games along with her rowing partner Narayana Kongannapalle, will compete in the PR3 mixed doubles sculls event in the quadrennial tournament.
Despite a quite short career in para-rowing that began only two years ago, the para-athlete has already established herself as a top medal contender in the watersports events at the para-athletic games for India.
Anita’s career in brief
Born in Rajasthan, Anita lost her left leg in a road accident, and could not complete her education after the incident. She moved in with her sister in Pune when she was fortunately discovered by para-rowing coach Colonel Md Azad.
The coaches, who were instructed to find a female partner for Kongannapalle by the Army Rowing Node (ARN) Commanding Officer Col Ramakrishnan, spotted her in 2022 posting workout videos in a gym wearing an artificial leg.
After consultation with her parents, she was selected as India’s female para-rower and put through a rigorous regiment of training exercises. Despite being new to the sport, the newly-selected para-rower picked up the lessons quickly, and she was soon representing her nation at the 4th Para Asian Games only 10 months after starting her training.
Her performance at the 2022 Para Asian Games defied all odds, as the rower finished the PR3 mixed doubles sculls event with a timing of 8:50.71, winning the silver medal in her first-ever tournament. The rowing duo also secured their place as the lone rowing representative for India at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, finishing with a timing of 7:50:80 at the Paralympic Qualification Regatta in South Korea.
Despite the difficulty that comes along with rowing with just one leg, Anita has refused to let her challenges get the better of her, consistently finishing almost 50 seconds ahead of competition at recent tournaments. Now in France, she will look to clinch a Paralympic medal as a reward for her extensive hard work and unwavering self-belief.