GUNTUR: Fixing her sight on the target, Rashmi gripped her javelin focusing all energy on her shoulder. Wiping away the hardships she had faced in her life to reach this position, she sprinted forward, and hurled the javelin to become Andhra Pradesh’s first-ever woman to clinch a bronze medal at the 37th National Games held in Goa from October 25 to November 9.
A native of Mangalore in Karnataka, Rashmi has been a sports enthusiast since her childhood. Seeing her throw the spear during sports hours her physical education teacher was left in awe and decided to encourage her.
She won medals in various championships including the National Junior Athletics Championship, National Inter Zonal Junior Athletics Championship, All India Inter University Championship, and many others, and secured a job in railways under sports quota. Later, she shifted to Patiala in Punjab and trained vigorously.
After getting married in 2020, she shifted to Guntur city. However, marriage did not stop her from achieving her goals. She continued her practice in Guntur and won a gold medal in the All India Inter Railway Athletics Championship, two silver medals in the National Open Athletic Championship, and the 36th National Games held in Ahmedabad from the Andhra Pradesh team in 2022. Aiming to win a gold medal in the national games in 2023, Rashmi started a gruesome training routine.
However, a serious injury came as a worst nightmare for Rashmi. Four months before the competitions she suffered a severe muscle tear in her arm during her practice which impacted her performance. Explaining how the injury affected her game, Rashmi said that while my average range was 57m to 60m, it was reduced to below 52m due to the arm injury. “I suffered excruciating pain even from lifting the spear which was very frightening. But with the willpower to not let this injury become a hurdle to achieving my dreams, I was able to get better,” she said.
Though the injury affected her performance in the national games, she was able to win a bronze medal. Not only this, but she also won a bronze medal in the 62nd National Interstate Athletics Championship, and a gold medal in the 88th All-Indian Railway Athletics Championship. At present, Rashmi is focusing on improving her performance and is training to participate in international championships and aiming to secure a place in the Olympics and represent her country.