Who is Rakshitha Raju? All you need to know about Indian para athlete at Paris 2024 Paralympics
India's 1500m visually challenged runner Rakshitha Raju is all set to become the first female Indian athlete to compete at the Paralympics in the 1500m race. Hailing from Chikkamagalur, Karnataka, Rakshitha Raju will take part in the women's 1500m T11 category.
Rakshitha lost both her parents at an early age and was brought up by her grandmother who was dumb and deaf. She did her schooling at Asha Kirana Andha Makkala Shale (Blind School) in Chikkamagaluru.
She trained running under her coach and mentor Rahul Balakrishna who is also her guide runner. She was introduced to Balakrishna by her initial guide runner at Sowmya Asha Kirana School.
Gold medal at Asian Para Games
She was selected for the Youth Asian Games in 2017. However, she opted not to travel after facing passport issues. Nevertheless, in 2018, she secured a gold medal in the 1500m event at the Asian Para Games, rising to prominence.
She secured a bronze medal in the 1500m race, clocking 5:29.00 seconds at the 2019 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Paris. In the same year, she also secured a gold medal in the 1500m and 800m events at the World Para Athletics Junior Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland.
Tasting more success
In 2021, she secured a gold medal in the 400m and 1500m events at the 19th National Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru. At the 20th National Para Athletics Championships 2022 in Odisha, she clinched a gold medal in the 200m, 400m, and 1500m events.
Another gold medal for Rakshitha Raju at Asian Para Games
She was part of the Indian contingent at the Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China. She went on to clinch a gold medal at the event after the initial gold medallist Shanshan He of China was disqualified. Rakshitha clocked 5:21.45 seconds to complete her race with the help of her guide-runner Rahul Balakrishna.
At the World Para Athletics Championships in May 2024, Rakshitha Raju finished fifth in the 1500m event finals, clocking her personal best of 5:16.13 seconds. In December 2023, Rakshitha Raju was awarded the Athlete of the year in the Paralympic category by GoSportsVoices.