NEW DELHI, Mar 21:
Tamil Nadu runner Ramesh Shanguman shone bright on the second day of the Khelo India Para Games, winning a gold medal each in the men’s 800m T53/T54 and men’s 100m T53/T54 events here on Friday.
By the end of the day, 44 gold medals were decided and Tamil Nadu had won nine of them.
A former basketball player, Shanguman hails from a farming family in Tiruchirappalli. He lost his legs in a lorry accident when he was eight.
However, he did not let the setback hold him back and took to sports. He started as a para basketball player but then shifted to wheelchair racing.
“I have faced a lot of struggles in my life. I need to achieve something. Every day just comes and goes. But I had the desire to make a name for myself. I have to prove myself,” Shanguman told SAI Media.
“I motivate myself every day. Now, my parents are very happy. In the first KIPG in 2023, I won the bronze medal, this time I won the gold medal. My family is a big support. Without them, I could not have been a medallist.”
In the para badminton competition, Paris Paralympics gold winner Nitesh Kumar and Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Krishna Nagar showed their dominance. Kumar made the finals in his category while Nagar entered the semifinals.
Sanjeev Kumar caused the first upset of the Games as he beat top seed Manjunatha Chikkaiah 21-13, 21-6 in the quarter-final.
Nithya Sre and Palal Kohli, the other top names in the badminton competition, also advanced in their respective sections. (PTI)
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