From Goa to Paris, 20-year-old blind athlete Sakshi prepares for her 1st foreign challenge

Time of India

28-05-2025

Sakshi Kale, visually-challenged athlete from Goa
PANAJI: When Sakshi Kale started taking part in competitive athletics three years ago, she was advised to get her passport done.
A visually-challenged athlete from Usgao in Ponda taluka, Sakshi, 20, left nobody in doubt that she would go places.
She became the first blind athlete from Goa to win a medal at the Para Athletics National Championship, later won an international medal, even competed against regular athletes at home, and is now taking a flight to Paris where she will take part in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix Championship.
The World Para Athletics Grand Prix will see the world's best para athletes in action from across the world, as the new cycle towards the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games begins.
India will have 13 athletes battling for honours.
'I started taking part in national-level events three years ago, and never believed I could grow so much,' Sakshi told TOI on Tuesday. 'Everyone said it was a must for me to have a passport, and now it's actually being put to use. I really can't believe all this is happening to me. To compete internationally is something I could only dream of.'
Sakshi, who has 75% blind disability, will compete in the 400m and 1500m races in the T13 category, meant for visually-impaired runners who have a restricted field of view, their peripheral vision limited, and central vision a blur.
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Her selection comes on the back of impressive performances at the Khelo India Para Nationals and the World Para Athlete Grand Prix 2025 in Delhi, where she won a gold and silver in 100m with a timing of 14.47 minutes.
When her mother passed on the selection news she had received from the Paralympic Committee of India, it took some time for the 20-year-old to realise that she was indeed going to Paris, a place she had only read about.
The next was preparation, as she attempts to match the top athletes from across the world.
'It won't be easy to compete against the world's best, but I am confident of putting up a good show since my preparations have been thorough. I am not scared of competition,' said Sakshi, a third year student at Government College, Khandola.
Her training, for four hours everyday, included beach running, road running, sessions in the gymnasium, and practice on the track at Bambolim where she reached, having travelled 40km from Usgao alone, walking through a dirt road to catch a bus, and then changing it twice to reach the stadium.
'I feel I am a better athlete now,' said Sakshi. 'I can feel the difference, particularly after the gym sessions, where I was allowed to use whatever facilities I needed. Weights, steams, ice baths, everything was available.'
Sakshi's pet events include sprints and long jump, but she's now giving middle distance a try in Paris, emboldened by some recent results where she did well at mini marathons. She won gold in 5,000m at the inter-collegiate athletic championship and then made heads turn by winning the 10k running events in Mulgao, Mayem, Bicholim, Cumbharjua, and Assagao.
'I don't know about the results in Paris, but I can assure everyone that I'll give my best. That's the least I can do for all those who have kept faith in me and supported me all along,' said Sakshi.