Karnataka: Dwarf athlete struggles to make ends meet

HUBBALLI: He has done both Dharwad and India proud, winning medals galore at international events but Devappa More, an athlete who represented the country at the Dwarf World Games in 2019, has been struggling to make ends meet following the outbreak of Covid-19.
A resident of Kadankoppa village in Kalghagi taluk in Dharwad, Devappa, a two-and-a-half foot dwarf, said that he did not have money to undertake cultivation of any crop on his four-acre farm.

At the 2019 Dwarf World Games in 2019, Devappa participated in various team and individual events, adding to India’s haul of medals each time he stepped out to compete.

In addition to the Dwarf World Games, Devappa has participated in various international events, travelling across the globe, earning laurels for himself and India in countries such as United States of America, United Arab Emirates, among others. Among others, he has participated in 100m, 200m running events and long jump.

Unfortunately for Devappa, his accomplishments on the racing track have brought in very little by way of materialistic benefits, and prosperity remains a distant dream.

That this international athlete was unable to afford a smartphone for his daughter to enable her to attend online classes during the lockdown is perhaps the most telling illustration of his plight.
“During the first wave of Covid-19, I managed to sow my crop, despite many difficulties, but was unable to reap any harvest owing to the heavy rain, which washed away my crop. I decided to sow maize this year, despite my problems, and I am expecting it will help me tide over this crisis,” he said.

Recalling a visit he made to Hubballi soon after online classes commenced for his daughter, a class VI student, Devappa said, “We went to Hubballi to buy a smartphone or tablet, but we found nothing for less than Rs 10,000, and had to return home empty-handed. She had to rely on Doordarshan classes for her lessons. But I approached my coach, to whom I explained my problems, and he donated his son’s smartphone to my daughter.”
Official coach and manager of the dwarfs’ athletic team and coach Shivanand Gunjal said that Devappa was an extraordinarily talented athlete who had, in addition to his medals, won the hearts of hundreds of spectators at the World Dwarf Games in Canada..