Nothing can deter this para-badminton champ from realising her goals in AP
SRIKAKULAM: Neither disability nor poverty has deterred the spirits of this 23-year-old from securing several accolades in para-badminton. A native of Santavuriti village in Srikakulam district, Padala Rupa Devi lost her father Satya Rao at the age of 6 and has been living with her grandparents and mother since.
At 19, she lost mobility in her lower limbs after she fell off the second floor of her relatives’ house in 2019. A merit student since childhood, Rupa’s passion for badminton drove her to pursue it despite all the odds.
So far, she has a total of four medals, including a gold in singles (wheelchair category) and silver (doubles) that she won during the 5th National Para-Badminton Championship held at Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University in Lucknow from March 23 to 26, and two gold medals in the State level para-badminton championship held in Visakha-patnam.
With the support of her mother Yashoda, she has been undergoing training at Mysuru. “I was confined to bed. My mother went to several hospitals in Vijayawada, Srikakulam, Bengaluru and Vellore to get me treated.
Finally, doctors of Christian Medical College in Vellore trained me in wheelchair usage to help me lead my life independently. My mother worked very hard to educate me and support my dreams. I learned a few wheelchair techniques on YouTube and participated in the State open para-badminton championship held in Bengaluru in 2021 with the help of my friends,” Rupa told TNIE.
However, Rupa has been seeking financial assistance to support her dream. She is yet to receive allocation of Rs 3 lakh from the Sports Authority of India (SAAP) that is given to national-level gold medalists.
A para-badminton player and coach Ananda Kumar had observed Rupa’s game and offered to train her in Mysuru free of cost. She won a gold and silver medal at the national level and two gold medals at the state level under his training.
“I have been practising the game on a sports wheelchair, which was sponsored by an NGO. I need an advanced wheelchair, a racket, a good diet, besides other amenities to excel in the Paralympics,” she said.