New Delhi, April 15 India's first female Olympic medallist, Karnam Malleswari, expressed immense joy after her first one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing it as a moment that reignited her drive to contribute further to the nation.
During his visit to Yamunanagar, Haryana, where the former world champion weightlifter has established her academy, PM Modi met the two-time world champion weightlifter and commended her efforts to nurture young athletes.
Having retired from the sport in 2004, the 49-year-old, along with her weightlifter husband Rajesh Tyagi, opened her first academy in Yamunanagar, Haryana in 2017.
Speaking to IANS, the 49-year-old stated that she had requested PM Modi to visit her academy; however, due to his busy schedule, he instead invited her to meet him.
"I have an academy in Yamunanagar, and I had requested the Prime Minister to visit. His (PM Modi's) schedule was very tight, so instead, he invited me to meet him. I was very happy to meet him. He said, 'You have done a great job for the country, and you are still doing wonderful work.'
"I told him about my academy, where children from underprivileged families are being trained. PM sir said, ‘I know that.’ He gave me his best wishes, saying, 'What you are doing is a noble mission for the upcoming Olympics," Karnam told IANS on Tuesday.
The former weightlifter, who is the current Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Sports University, further revealed that though she met PM Modi several times at various events, this was the first time she had a one-on-one interaction with him.
"The meeting with the Prime Minister lasted around 7 to 10 minutes. He listened to me calmly — it wasn’t rushed at all. My husband and I were both there, and he heard us out with patience. I had met him before at events, but this was the first time I had a one-on-one opportunity. He was very positive and supportive. Meeting him gave me renewed energy, and I feel that I can now do even more for the country," she added.
Karnam, a two-time world champion and a two-time Asian Games silver medal winner, holds the distinguished honour of being the first woman from India to win a medal at the Olympics when she bagged the bronze medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
"I told him that I had missed the gold medal in Sydney (Olympics), and now I have set a goal of winning 10 medals. With that determination, I started my academy. My dream is to make a contribution toward a stronger India by ensuring that we win as many medals as possible in weightlifting at the Olympics," she said.
Karnam was conferred with numerous prestigious awards by the Indian government, including the Arjuna Award (1994), Khel Ratna (1999) and the Padma Shri (1999).
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