MYSURU: Defying physical challenges and rising through sheer determination, Mysuru’s para-athlete Shilpa K Shyla has etched her name in Karnataka’s sporting history by winning a bronze medal in the women’s F57 shot put event at the 23rd Commonwealth Games 2026 being held in Glasgow, Scotland.
Hailing from Kanchuger Koppalu village in KR Nagar taluk of Mysuru district, Shilpa is the daughter of farmers Shaila and Shanta. She lost a leg in an accident at the age of four. After completing her education, she worked as a teacher in Mysuru before deciding to pursue sports professionally.
For coach Raghavendra, Shilpa’s medal in the women’s F57 shot put event is the reward for a journey that began in 2019 when the Mysuru native first entered para sports through sitting volleyball. Speaking to TNIE, Raghavendra recalled that Shilpa joined him in February 2019 as a sitting volleyball player in Mandya and trained under his guidance for nearly four years. “She was extremely dedicated from the beginning. She never complained about the challenges and was always willing to learn. She continued with sitting volleyball till 2023, but I felt her physical abilities were better suited for athletics, especially shot put,” he said.
“I told her that if she wanted to achieve something big at the international level, she had to commit herself fully to the sport. It was not an easy choice because she had a stable career. But she trusted the process, moved to Bengaluru to pursue athletics full-time,” he said.
According to Raghavendra, her willingness to start afresh in a new discipline and dedicate herself completely to training played a crucial role in her rapid rise. The bronze medal came despite Shilpa taking up shot put only about a year ago. Competing against some of the world’s best para-athletes at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she produced a throw of 7.26 metres to finish on the podium.