Who is Rongali Ravi? All you need to know about the Indian para-athlete competing in the Paris 2024 Paralympics
With India sending 84 members to the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympics, Rongali Ravi is among those looking to win their first Paralympic medal in this year’s edition.
28-year-old Rongali Ravi, who has previously represented his nation in the men’s shot put F40 event at several World Championships as well as the Para Asian Games, will be making his Paralympic debut in Paris.
With the Paris 2024 Paralympics starting on August 28, Ravi will look to make his Paralympic debut one to remember by securing a podium finish in France.
Rongali Ravi’s career in brief
Born in the Chirikivanipalem village in the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh, Rongali Ravi suffered from dwarfism – reaching a maximum height of 125cm (approximately 4ft 1in).
Despite his short stature and the poor financial condition of his family, Ravi persevered in creating a career in para-sports. Since starting his career in 2014, he has dabbled in many sporting events, beginning with para-badminton.
In 2015, Ravi took part in the National Para-Badminton Championships in Bengaluru, winning a silver medal in the doubles event and a bronze medal in the men’s singles event. He won a bronze medal each in doubles and singles events the next year as well.
However, Ravi decided to switch to para-athletics in 2018 after he won a gold medal in the para shot put event at the 18th National Para Athletics Championship in Faridabad. After the switch, he took part in the 19th National Para Athletics in Bengaluru in 2021, winning a gold medal in the javelin throw event and a silver medal in the shot put event.
His continued success at the national level caught the attention of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and para-athletics coach Rahul Balakrishna began training him in Bengaluru.
Rongali Ravi then made his international debut by taking part in the Fazza International Para Athletics Championship in Dubai in 2021, coming in the fourth position. His career stalled due to a lack of sponsors, but his family supported him by selling off their half-acre farm.
With his family’s backing, Ravi took part in the IWAS World Athletics Championship in Portugal and won two silver medals in the javelin throw and shot put events. He then finished in the fifth spot in the 2023 World Para Athletics Championship in Paris.
His breakthrough moment came in the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where he won a silver medal in the men’s shot put F40 category by registering a throw of 9.92m.
Since his international success, he has continued his good form, clinching gold medals in the javelin throw and shot put events in both the IWAS World Games in Thailand and the Khelo India Para Games in 2023. He then secured his Paris 2024 Paralympics qualification by coming in the fifth position in the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan.
However, Rongali Ravi will now face the toughest challenge of his career in Paris, as he looks to win his first Paralympic medal at the upcoming quadrennial games.