AFTER three successive heartbreak campaigns at the Asian Para Games where she returned empty-handed, 44-year-old Nagpur-born para-athlete Suvarna Pradeep Raj arrived in Aichi-Nagoya determined to rewrite her story. Battling early-tournament injuries and bitter cold, Suvarna produced a throw of 15.66 metres in the women’s F54 discus throw to clinch her maiden continental gold medal. Building on strong international performances earlier this year - including a bronze at the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix and a golden double in Canberra - she finally conquered the Asian podium with the help of coaches Robin Singh and Pintu Nagar. Touching down in Japan, Suvarna faced infrastructural hurdles as a wheelchair user.

 

“I was injured on the first day itself,” said Suvarna, who is the Delhi State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities while talking to ‘The Hitavada’ on Wednesday. “Japan did not have proper facilities to cater to wheelchair users and I strained my hand while transitioning from my wheelchair on a WC. I was then hospitalised by the organisers and they medicated me. I am still not sure if they gave me muscle relaxers or pain killers,” said Suvarna, who is in Nagpur for vacations. Come match day, the biting cold and the lingering impact of the medication threw an immediate challenge. During the early morning event, as she stepped into the throwing circle, her body felt sluggish. “I felt myself not being able to perform to my fullest,” recalled Suvarna who shifted to UP from Nagpur in 2008 after marriage. Starting with a modest 13.68 metres, Suvarna dialed up her rhythm, throwing a distance of 15.09m on her second, 15.05m on her third and 14.57m on her fourth attempt. Needing something special, she dug deep.

 

“I gathered my energy and focused my breathing and spoke to my god Anusuya Aai to grant me some energy, and in the fifth throw, I crossed the 15.66-metre mark to pocket the yellow metal.” Her final attempt of 15.19m sealed a magnificent series, securing her the top spot. Iran’s Shahla Hadidi took silver with 15.45m, while Vietnam’s Thi Ngoc Thuy Nguyen clinched bronze medal with 14.65m. On the feat, Suvarna said, “I had to win a medal, I had this in at the back of my mind all the time. I had participated in the Para Asian Games three times before this and came home medal-less. I just wanted to win a medal, I did not care about the colour of it.” For Suvarna, an United Nations SDG Action Award winner and recipient of National Role Model and Youth Awards, - sports is more than just medals and podium finishes. “For me, sports is a way for promoting accessibility for specially abled persons,” she concluded.