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As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are around the corner, there are many para-athletes who will be looking to give a better performance than their previous one. However, there are also a few athletes who will be appearing in their first-ever Paralympic Games for India. One of the para-athletes to look out for in the upcoming tournament will be Rakshitha Raju, who will be making her debut in the track and field event at the Summer Paralympic Games.
Rakshitha Raju is a visually impaired athlete, who will compete in the Women's 1500m Running T-11 Category in the upcoming Paralympic Games. With this, Rakshitha is also going to be the first-ever female athlete from India to compete in the above-mentioned category at the Games.
Who is Rakshitha Raju?
Rakshitha Raju was born in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka in 2002 and has been visually challenged since her birth. She lost both her parents at an early age and was raised by her grandmother. Despite all these hardships, Rakshitha didn’t stop to take her passion and earned significant milestones. She joined the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bengaluru.
Rakshitha Raju won a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Para Games in the 1500m event. After that, she went on to win another gold in the 2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships in the 1500m and 800m categories. Rakshitha was also a part of the 1500m event at the Para Athletics World Championships in 2023.
Rakshitha Raju won back-to-back gold medals in different categories at the National Para Athletics Championships in 2021 and 2022. She won gold in the 400m and 1500m events in 2021 and 200m, 400m and 1500m events in 2022.
Now, Raju is set to take part in the 1500m category at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. The 22-year-old visually challenged runner will also be the first Indian female athlete to take part in this event and will be looking to have a memorable campaign in the upcoming quadrennial Games.
