VISAKHAPATNAM : Ravi Rongali, a para-athlete from Anakapalle district, has been selected to represent India at Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, scheduled to be held from August 28 to September 8. His selection came after an impressive performance at the selection trials held in Bengaluru in July. Ravi will compete in the men’s shot put (F40 category) at Paralympics.
Ravi, 28, hails from Chirikivanipalem village in K Kotapadu mandal. His parents, Demudu Babu and Manga, are farmers. Ravi’s education journey began at a residential school in Bheemunipatnam, and continued through Intermediate studies at Punyagiri. He later graduated from Mahati Degree College in Visakhapatnam.
From a young age, Ravi showed a keen interest in sports, competing with able-bodied individuals and winning medals at local events.
Ravi aims for gold medal at Paris Paralympics 2024 in shot put
His journey into para sports began during his Intermediate years, when he learnt about para games from the Para Sports Association of Andhra Pradesh, headed by Prof Shyam Babu of Andhra University, and secretary V Ramaswamy, with coaches Murthy and Sashi. Motivated by their guidance, Ravi set his sights on winning medals for his country, focusing on para sports in 2014. Initially, he excelled in badminton, winning medals at the national level with the support from Prof N Vijay Mohan of Andhra University.
Upon the association’s suggestion, Ravi shifted his focus to para athletics, quickly excelling in shot put and javelin throw. With unwavering support from the association’s president, Gonuguntla Koteswara Rao, secretary Ramaswamy, and his family, who sold land to fund his training, Ravi honed his skills further.
In 2018, he secured a gold medal in shot put at the 18th Para Athletics Championship in Haryana. Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which halted para sports for two years, Ravi remained focused and won a silver medal at the 19th National Para Athletics in Bengaluru in 2021. His talent caught the attention of Rahul Balakrishna of the Sports Authority of India, who began coaching him in Bengaluru.
Ravi’s international breakthrough came in 2021, when he stood fourth at the Fazza International Para Athletics Championship in Dubai. In 2022, he won silver medals in javelin throw and shot put at the IWAS World Athletics Championship in Portugal. In June 2023, he placed fifth at the World Para Athletics Championship in Paris, leading to his selection for the Asian Para Games.
At the recent Asian Para Games in China, Ravi won a silver medal in shot put F40 category with a throw of 9.92 metres, competing against athletes from Iran, Iraq, China, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Ravi continued his success by securing gold medals in shot put and javelin throw at the IWAS Games in Thailand and the Khelo India Para Games.
Currently undergoing training at Sports Authority of India in Bengaluru, Ravi aims for a gold medal at Paralympic Games.