Showing woman power in powerlifting

There is a steep increase in sports personalities in Andhra Pradesh after the bifurcation of the State. However, very few players evince interest in sports like powerlifting and weightlifting, a male dominated sport that needs immense stamina and strength. S Chandrakala is one among the few who chose power lifting and weight lifting and excelled in that sport.

Coming from a poor family background, Chandrakala proved her mettle in the sport and had won international medals for the country and the state as well. Working in the Excise department as a constable under the DCP she practices the sport daily to stay fit for the competitions.Chandrakala, speaking to the Womenia, narrated her saga as to how she faced many uphill tasks to reach this position.

Right from her childhood she was inclined more towards sports and her father supported her in all aspects. Powerlifting and weightlifting are tough sports and need regular practice under a good trainer to win medals. For regular training one has to spend a lot of money on good and balanced diet per month. However, her financial problem haunts her, as usual, to take the best coaching, she said.

She said her role model was Karanam Malleswari and her aim was to win medals and receive Arjuna Award. She participated in many events with minimal practice and won medals. Even though she has immense talent and calibre, poverty proved to be a major setback to shine in the sport. In the initial times of her career, she used to borrow money to participate in the events and was compelled to keep away from sports as debts had piled up.

Later after getting a constable job, she started her practice. She said that despite winning in the international competitions there was no support from the Government to acknowledge her talent.Chandrakala is the first woman from the district to win first international medal in powerlifting at the Asian Power Lifting Championship in 2018 held at Udaipur, Rajasthan.

She is seeking financial help from all sources to sponsor her to practice and get a chance to participate in the upcoming Common Wealth Games. She said all the hopes of the sportspersons came crashing down when the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), political parties and the government turned a blind eye to the pleas of sportspersons.

Her husband Sandeep said that she gets 20,000 per month. However, she needs about Rs 50, 000 per month for good training and for balanced food, where she is lagging behind. He said that after participating in Asian games the rest of the players were given house sites but she did not get any benefit or job promotion from the government.