Latest news with #KunjaRajitha
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
From tribal village to Asian gold: Sprinter Rajitha races toward Olympic dream
VIJAYAWADA: Kunja Rajitha (19), a young sprinter from the remote tribal village of Ramachandrapuram in Koonavaram mandal, Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, has made headlines by winning gold in the women's 4×400m relay at the 26th Asian Athletics Championships held in Gumi, South Korea. Her rise from poverty to the continental stage is a testament to perseverance and the transformative power of opportunity. Born into a family of migrant workers who relocated from Chhattisgarh to Andhra Pradesh four decades ago, Rajitha is the youngest of six siblings. She lost her father, Mariah, when she was just 3-year-old, and was raised by her mother, Bhadramma, under financial constraints. Her athletic talent came to light at Arrupe High School in Katukapalli, run by the Loyola Integrated Tribal Development Society (LITDS) in Chintoor mandal. It was here that Fr Yesu Ratnam noticed her potential when she was in Class VII. 'She has speed and focus. I saw a spark in her,' he recalled. Encouraged by him, Rajitha began competing in school-level events, winning her first 100m race in 2016. After school, she pursued Intermediate at CK Junior College, Mangalagiri, and later joined SAAP (Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh) in Nellore in 2018. Trained by coaches Vamsi Kiran and Krishna Mohan, she continued to excel despite challenges such as financial hardship and delay in obtaining caste certificate.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
SRM-A.P.'s student part of women's team that won gold in 4×400 metres relay at international tourney
Kunja Rajitha, a first-year B. Com. student at Paari School of Business, SRM University-A.P., Amaravati, is part of the Women's 4×400 metres relay team that made history by clinching a gold on Day 3 of the 26th Asian Athletics Championship being held in South Korea on April 30, Thursday. 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.
