CHENNAI: For years, Kasthuri Rajamani took up odd jobs to support her family. Having lost her mother as a toddler and affected by polio in both legs, the Tamil Nadu athlete grew up under the care of her grandmother.Sport, however, opened a new door for Kasthuri at the age of 34 in 2018. Introduced to powerlifting by a friend from the shooting fraternity, the 42-year-old gradually carved out a place for herself in the sport. On Wednesday, her journey yielded a memorable reward as she won her maiden Asian Para Games medal, taking silver in the women’s 67kg category with a best lift of 108kg.“I might have started my career late, but I feel I started at the right time. After my Commonwealth Games performance (she could not record a lift), I was mentally disturbed. Athletes go through ups and downs, and my coach and family helped me understand that and I moved on,” Paris Paralympian Kasthuri told TOI.Rukhshona Uktamova (128kg) from Uzbekistan bagged the top spot, while South Korea’s Hyeonghui Kim (107kg) took home bronze. Apart from Asian Para Games medal, Kasthuri has won medals at a World Cup in 2024 and double gold at IWAS (World Ability Games) in 2023.After securing her first state medal, Kasthuri knew that she could achieve more despite the struggles that would come along the way. One such setback came in 2022, when her sponsor cut ties with her after she failed to perform at her first international competition. “The sponsor had asked me to quit my job to focus on sport, but when they discontinued their support, things became very difficult. In the same year, I lost my grandmother to cancer. I pushed myself not to give up and kept fighting,” Kasthuri, who has a personal best of 110kg, said.“I am at this stage because of my grandmother, and I am active now only because of her. She made me mentally strong. Now I feel sad that she is not able to see my achievements, but I believe that she is blessing me from somewhere. I believe she is there with me,” Kasthuri, who credited her coach Vijaya Sarathy for her success, added.While Kasthuri had limited opportunities growing up, she is slowly fulfilling some of her aspirations now. Earlier this year, Kasthuri completed her MBA through distance learning.
