Madhura K.N., from Kondajji in Hassan taluk, has been selected to represent India in the 41st World Arm-Wrestling Championship to be held in Romania later this year.
Born into an agricultural family, Madhura, 22, has won many medals in State and national events. Of 75 from Karnataka, who participated in the National Arm-Wrestling Championship in Chattisgarh between June 19 and 23, she is the only sportsperson to win two golds. She won the medals both in the left and right hand categories.
Ms. Madhura, who studied B.Com at A.V.K. College in Hassan, began her sports career as a wrestler.
She won gold medals thrice in a row at the Mysore University-level. Two years ago, she was introduced to arm-wrestling. So far, she has participated in 14 State-level championships and won golds in all. In the national championship in 2018, she won the bronze that took her to Turkey for an international event, where she secured the 6th and 10th place in left and right-hand categories respectively.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Madhura said her trip to Turkey incurred an expense of ₹1.54 lakh.
Local bodies and elected representatives helped her financially. “There is no financial support from the State government in Karnataka for arm-wrestlers who take part in national and international events. Many states including Kerala support their sportspersons,” she said.
This time she has to arrange ₹ 1.38 lakh to travel to Romania and transfer the same to the Indian Arm-Wrestling Federation before August 18. “I request the State government to support sportspersons like me participating in international events. I hope the government offers financial help,” she said.