Beating all odds…
By S.N. Venkatnag Sobers
Imagine being run over by a lorry at the age of four and losing one of your legs and becoming permanently disabled. The journey of life becomes not only tough for the child but also for the parents. However, there are many examples of such personalities who have beaten all odds to acclaim world glory and bring laurels not only to their parents but also for the country. One such personality is Mysuru’s para athlete K.S. Shilpa, a resident of Kanchugaranakoppal village in K.R. Nagar taluk of Mysuru.
Having won medals at National and International Para Athletic Championships, Shilpa is now eyeing for a global glory as she will be representing the Indian para athletes team at the Commonwealth Games to be held at Glasgow in Scotland from tomorrow (July 23). The 37-year-old para athlete will be taking part in the F57 Shot Put event and hopes to win a medal for the country.
Shilpa, who hails from a farmer’s family, after completing her Master’s and Bachelor in Education (MA, B.Ed) shifted to Mysuru in 2019 to pursue her job as a teacher in one of the private schools. It was here that she was introduced to sports and took up sitting volleyball. She was a part of State Women’s team which won accolades at national level.
However, it was later that Shilpa shifted her focus towards athletics after being persuaded by her volleyball coach Raghavendra. She started to train in shot put and discus throw. However, with limited practice facilities in Mysuru for para athletes, Shilpa quit her job and shifted to Bengaluru for better facilities and has been practicing at Sree Kanteerava Stadium under the watchful eyes of her coach Eeshan.
Shilpa’s first achievement came at an international event in Thailand where she won a silver in shot put and bronze in javelin throw. Later, she won gold in shot put event at National Games held in Goa during 2023. Going further, she won silver medal in shot put event at 6th Open International Para Athletics Championship, bronze at Fazza International World Para Athletics Championship in Dubai and gold in both shot put and discus throw at the Championship held in New Delhi. All of her achievements over past three years earned her a direct qualification to women’s F57 Shot Put event at Commonwealth Games 2026 being held at Glasgow in Scotland.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Shilpa, said, “It is a proud moment to be representing India at the Commonwealth Games. My parents have been supportive throughout my journey and I only hope to win a medal for the country at the upcoming event.”
The journey so far for Shilpa has not been an easy one. Having shifted to Bengaluru for better training facilities, she has been facing financial problems as training and staying in Bengaluru is a costly affair. Till date, despite her achievements, Shilpa has not received any support from the State Government or any private sponsors.
“Every month, I at least need Rs. 50,000 to continue training and stay in Bengaluru. While my family has been helping to a certain extent, it has been a difficult journey so far. To participate in an international event, I need to spend at least Rs. 3 lakh which is difficult to arrange on every occasion. Any encouragement from State Government will help athletes like me to achieve much more,” she added.
Meanwhile, Shilpa, who is currently using the artificial basic Jaipur prosthetics, has been wanting to purchase advanced sports prosthetics which would help her in training and realise her dream of winning medals for the country in Paralympics Games.
“Using the basic Jaipur prosthetics is good for basic movement. But for sports, we need advanced prosthetics which costs huge money. It would be of great help if any of the organisations could come forward and sponsor para athletes so that we could pursue our dreams,” said Shilpa.
This post was published on July 22, 2026 7:30 pm