New Delhi: Meet Assam’s Anishmita Konwar, the 14-year-old who bagged the state’s first gold medal at the Khelo India Para Games 2023 here in New Delhi. This prodigious daughter of a mason from Dibrugarh, who won the long jump in the T37 category, wants to shine in athletics like Assam’s sprint queen Hima Das. Representing a contingent of just five participants, Anishmita has set her sight firmly on a podium finish. The contingent, though one of the smallest at the Khelo India Para Games, put up a courageous performance bagging a total of one gold, one silver and one bronze on Wednesday (December 13) and their heart-warming performance was applauded by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, as per a press release from Khelo India Para Games.

The 14-year-old Anishmita, who usually competes in the long jump, 100m, 200m and 400m, took to the track for the first time in 2021 and won gold in 200m and silver in 100m at the Para Nationals held in Bengaluru the same year. Now Anishmita has etched her name in history by winning the first gold medal for Assam in the first-ever Khelo India Para Games. Asserting her goal, she said,

“Before Bengaluru, I played my first Nationals in 2021 in Odisha, where I won gold in the long jump and silver in the 400 meters. After this, I won the gold medal in the long jump in the Nationals held in Pune in 2023. My dream is to play for the country and I want to become like our Assam sprinter Hima Das.”

Anishmita lives in the hostel of Dibrugarh University and practices under the supervision of women’s coach Kunjulata Gogoi. Speaking about the Khelo India Para Games, Anishmita who is one of the youngest participants here said,

“I felt good coming here. Played in Para Games for the first time and won a medal. I want to play as long as I can breathe.”

For many para-athletes taking part in the Khelo India Para Games, the sport has given them a new identity – a platform where they can show people their capabilities as differently-abled.

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Anishmita is now gearing up for the Para Nationals to be held in Goa next month and will showcase her talent in 100, 200, 400 meters and long jump.

Anishmita missed out on a chance to participate in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games as she did not meet the requirement of being 14 and above. She turned 14 on August 29 and thus missed the bus to be part of the historic Indian contingent that bagged 111 medals at the Asian Para Games.

Assam Paralympic Association General Secretary Rajib said,

“She could have participated in the 100m for T37 but she did not meet the required age criteria. The qualifying time was 17.89 seconds and she clocked 17.01 seconds which is also her personal best. Now she is eligible for international events and we would like her to win a medal for the country.”

Like Anishmita, the Khelo India Para Games has shed light on many aspiring para-athletes who have shown great promise and have proved that being differently-abled is not a challenge.

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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)