
SRM-A.P.'s student part of women's team that won gold in 4×400 metres relay at international tourney
The other three in her team included Jisna Mathew, Rupal Chaudhary and Subha Venkatesan. The quartet clocked the season-best time of 3:34.18s, edging past Vietnam and Sri Lanka in the finals, according to a report from the university. India won gold in the Women's 4x400m relay at the Asian Athletics Championships after 12 years.
The university's Sports Director, Anup Singh Suryavanshi, congratulated Rajitha on her achievement and said it is a testament to her hard work and resilience. Her performance on such an international platform inspires all student-athletes nationwide, he added.
SRM University Pro Vice-Chancellor Satish Kumar and Vice-Chancellor Manoj K Arora praised Rajitha and said her journey reminds one that students can rise to any challenge with the right support and determination. Her success adds to the growing legacy of the university as a hub for talent, they said.
Rajitha hails from an inaccessible tribal village near Kunavaram in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh. Despite all odds, she continued her education while pursuing her dreams and became a national-level athlete, the release said.
Rajitha bagged gold in the 400-metre sprint event at the Khelo India Youth Games-2022, held in Haryana. She also secured second place in a similar event in the 2019 edition of Khelo India held in Assam. In 2018, Rajitha joined Tenvic Sports Academy in Nellore.
Later, she trained under coach Mike Russell at SAA Centre of Excellence in Guntur.
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New Indian Express
16 hours ago
- New Indian Express
TN athletes shatter meet records, Dhanalakshmi marks return with gold
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News18
16 hours ago
- News18
Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025: Top National, International Athletes To Vie For 24 Gold Medals
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NDTV
19 hours ago
- NDTV
Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025: Top National, International Athletes To Vie For 24 Gold Medals
The best national athletes in the country will vie for the 24 gold medals at stake in the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival to be held at the iconic Dal Lake. The three-day event will see more than 400 compete for the medals events – rowing, canoeing and kayaking. The Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025 will be the first consolidated Open-age category championships where all 14 kayaking and canoeing events and the 10 rowing events are Olympic events. To add to the glamour of the Water Games, there will be three demonstration events – water skiing, shikhara boat spring and dragon boat race. The KIWSF will see 36 states and Union Territories in action. Among them, all eyes will be on athletes from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala. 'Since Services will not take part in these Games as a team, it will be good to see how the states compete and perform. The course has been prepared keeping all international specifications in mind and we are all set to go,' said competition manager Bilquis Mir, a former World Cupper canoeist and an Olympic judge. The Khelo India Water Sports Festival is a new addition to the Khelo India calendar. In 2025, two new events have been added. The Khelo India Beach Games took place in Diu in May. As per the Khelo Bharat Niti, both the Water Games and Beach Games are aimed at promoting sports and attracting tourism. Suhani Meena, a water sports athlete from Madhya Pradesh, who will participate in rowing said she was elated at being in Kashmir. 'This is a great opportunity for water sports athletes since we only a few opportunities throughout the year to participate in a national-level event. Now the Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025 will give us a chance to excel,' she said. For kayaking and canoeing, the last nationals held at Tehri (Uttarakhand) in November have been used as a qualifier. The top 15 in singles and doubles and the top eight fours will be participating in KIWSF. For rowing, the top eight from the nationals held in Bhopal in March this year will take part. There will be international flavor as well. Arjun Lal Jat, an Army rower who will represent Delhi, will be one of the main attractions. Jat, 28, has taken part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won silver in the light-weight double sculls at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. 'This is my first Khelo India event and I will participate in men's single sculls. I expect each participating team to deliver their best. Khelo India is very well supported by the Government of India. Such events should happen more as it will provide a platform to the athletes of Jammu and Kashmir to represent India at the international level,' said Jat. The Water Games will see almost equal representation from men and women. Of the 409 athletes competing for medals, 202 will be female. Madhya Pradesh (44), Haryana (37), Odisha (34) and Kerala (33) will have the largest contingent at KIWSF 2025. Gujarat, Puducherry and West Bengal will have the smallest teams.