KIPG 2025: Double delight for Ramesh Shanguman as Tamil Nadu athletes make strong start
New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) Tamil Nadu’s Ramesh Shanguman shone brightly on the second day of the Khelo India Para Games 2025, winning two gold medals in the Men’s 800m T53/T54 and Men’s 100m T53/T54 events respectively.
By the end of the day, 44 gold medals had been decided and Tamil Nadu had won 9 of them. Haryana stood second with 7 medals while Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh followed with 5 medals each.
Hailing from a farming family in Mannathampatty village, Tiruchirappalli, Shanguman was struck by tragedy when he lost his legs in a lorry accident at the age of eight. However, he did not let the setback hold him back and took to sports. He started as a para basketball player but then shifted to wheelchair racing.
Speaking to SAI Media about his victory at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shanguman said, “I have faced a lot of struggles in my life. I need to achieve something. Every day just comes and goes. But I had the desire to make a name for myself. I have to prove myself. I motivate myself every day. Now my parents are very happy. In the first KIPG in 2023, I won the bronze medal, this time I won the gold medal. My family is a big support. Without them, I could not have been a medallist.”
It was Day 2 in the para badminton competition at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. Friday saw some exciting encounters with the likes of Paris Paralympian Nitesh Kumar and Tokyo Paralympics Gold medallist Krishna Nagar showing their dominance. On the other hand, Sanjeev Kumar stunned everybody by causing the first upset of the KheloIndia Para Games 2025 as he beat the first seed Manjunatha Chikkaiah by 21-13, 21-6 in the quarter-final.
Paris 2024 gold medallist Nitesh Kumar made the finals in his category while Krishna Nagar entered the semifinals. Nithya Sre and Palal Kohli, the other top names in the badminton competition, also advanced in their respective sections.
–IANS
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