Village erupts in joy as Ragala Venkat Rahul wins gold at Commonwealth Games

The village of Stuartpuram erupted in joy after its illustrious son Ragala Venkat Rahul won a gold medal in the men 85 kg event at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.

Villagers celebrated at the house of Ragala Madhu, father of Rahul, himself a State Kabbadi player, by cutting a cake and bursting crackers. Coming from a family who trace their roots to itinerant tribal communities and who have been reformed and rehabilitated in colonies, the spectacular achievements have brought glory to the village located on the Old Grand Trunk Road near Bapatla.

Success saga

Rahul won more than 30 medals in various international events. His younger brother Varun recently won gold in the 77kg category at the Australian Weightlifting Championship in November, 2017.

The siblings are now training at the National Institute of Sports, Punjab and won more than 60 medals between them. The Andhra Pradesh government recognised their achievements and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu gave ₹25 lakh to Varun recently.

The story of their spectacular success began in the early 90s when Mr. Madhu saw the potential of the two boys. He trained them in the house and later admitted them in the Sports School at Hakimpet in Telangana when the boys passed Class 3. Undeterred by financial constraints, he pushed himself and raised his sons as sportspersons. He sold his house and pooled ₹25 lakh and began living in Hyderabad. The hard work paid off as the boys started winning in national tourneys and made a mark in the international tourneys. “I always believed in the potential of my sons and know that they will win medals in the Commonwealth Games. Though I am a sportsman myself, I never got any encouragement, and that made me determined to train my sons,’’ said Mr. Madhu.