Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 25 : Anupriya VS's mother Rajani was keen on making a career as a shot-putter in her younger days but had to abandon her dream due to a lack of family support. But once she saw her daughter also taking a keen interest in sports, she encouraged the then 14-year-old Anupriya to try her hand at throwing events after some initial success in running competitions at the school level.
Naturally, Anupriya took up shot-put with her mother Rajani donning the role of a coach during the initial years. On Tuesday, the 18-year-old from Kerala etched her name in the record books of the Khelo India Youth Games when she won the gold medal with a new meet record of 17.22m.
But the journey was far from easy. Rajani, who is now a homemaker, wasn't really a trained coach and Anupriya had to be enrolled in the KC Throwing Academy in Kasaragod, led by coach KC Gireesh. As she began to show promise, the cost of training and travelling for competitions started to mount.
To meet those expenses, the family liquidated their assets while her father, Sasi K, resigned from his job in a quarry so that he could travel with her. The local community also played a crucial role by providing financial aid through scholarships. And Anupriya made the most of all the support by winning bronze medals at the Asian Youth Championships in Uzbekistan and the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
Having won the silver medal in the last edition of the Khelo India Youth Games, Anupriya had set a target of not only winning the gold in Chennai but also getting her name in the record books.
"She was very determined for this event as this is her last chance to participate in the Khelo India Youth Games. Finally, she made it through her hard work and the blessings of coach and mother," said an elated Sasi.
Having missed her opportunity to shine in the sun, Rajani dreams of her daughter making to the Olympics one day and Anupriya says she is driven by the hunger to fulfil her mother's wish.
"I came here with a goal and I achieved it. I hope that if I continue this form I can represent India at the Olympics and that is my mother's dream," she added.
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