The women of this country never leave an opportunity to make the entire nation proud and the least that we owe to them is to acknowledge their effort and appreciate their achievements. Days after Vinesh Phogat scripted history by qualifying for the 2020 olympics, another woman sportsman has brought glory to the nation.
Arathi Arun, the powerlifter Asian Powerlifting Championship gold medallist Arthi Arun, has just bagged five gold medals in the Commonwealth Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships.
Source: Twitter
However, Arathi Arun has expressed her discontent over not being appreciated enough for her laurels. She told a leading news agency, “I am the only woman who has taken part in both Asian platform and Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship. It is a very proud thing for me. After winning, I expected a lot of appreciation and support but I was not appreciated and was not given much support.” She further said that she expected to receive support in the light of all that she achieved. Arathi said that she had mailed Centre and State governments, regarding the same and requested a reward and some appreciation.
“After my Asian Championship, I even sent an email to the Centre and State, requesting them for reward and appreciation. But they sent an email to me saying they will look into the matter but till now nobody has replied to me. So, that is a letting down, as a sportsperson, at the end of the day when you come back to your motherland, you expect appreciation, you expect your people to love you and respect you for what you have done for the country,” Arun added.
However, the high spirited powerlifter said that while she didn’t receive any support, this wouldn’t stop her from working hard for her future endeavours. Arathi said, “I will not stop; the fire in me is not going to stop. I am going to take part in the World Championship that is going to come in South Africa but if I am getting support from the government that will be an added bonus to me and I will really appreciate it.”
The powerlifting championship commenced on September 15 and ended on September 21 and over 28 Indians took part in the tournament. The gold medals which Arathi has won are from the 72 kg category.
Featured Image: Twitter
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