Tikiri: Even as gold medal winner in National Women Weightlifting Championship Sushila Majhi aspires to participate in forthcoming international events, financial crunch has blighted the prospect of her participation.
According to sources, the tribal girl belongs to Semiliguda village of Tikiri panchayat under Kashipur block in Rayagada district. She had bagged the medal in an event conducted at Berhampur December 29, bringing fame for the people of her area and Odisha as well.
As Sushila hails from a poor family, she lacks in funds for participating in the forthcoming international events. She had lost her father right from the childhood and lived with her mother and two sisters.
Her winning spree started with a bronze medal in weightlifting in 2014 and she never looked back thereafter. Adding feathers to her cap, she bagged a silver medal in weightlifting in 2017, sources said.
Reacting to her fiscal stress, Sushila said, “The support provided by my elder brother and paternal uncle has made me reach the height where I am today. As I am poor, I am unable to arrange healthy diets every day, which are badly needed for my practice”.
Sushila has sought support of the district administration as well as the state government in her venture to scale new heights. With adequate patronage she can bring glory to the country, she added.
Her extra-ordinary talents as a sportswoman came to the limelight, when she was in Class VII at Tikiri High School. After giving out her visible performances in the district level events, she got an opportunity for training in weightlifting at Sports Hostel, Bhubaneswar.
However, after taking training at Bhubaneswar for several years, she shifted to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Sports Hostel at Lucknow. She still continues her training in weightlifting there, these days.
PNN
