Paralympics 2024 is going to start from 28 August in Paris, the capital of France. India has sent a team of 84 players to these games, which is the largest team till date. At the same time, there are two such players in this team, whose story is not just a story but a tale telling their struggle. The story of Narayan Konganapalle, who survived the landmine blast, and Anitha, who lost her leg in a train accident, inspires everyone. Especially for those people, these two athletes are no less than heroes who consider physical disability as their helplessness.
Actually, Narayan and Anita will represent India in para rowing at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Both these athletes will participate in PR3 mixed double sculls in para rowing. This will be the first time that India will participate in a new boat class in the Paralympics.
Narayan, originally from Andhra Pradesh, has been in competitive rowing since 2018. While his partnership with Anitha began only in 2022, he had to look for a female teammate due to the schedule of the 2023 Asian Games and 2024 Paralympics, as the PR3 men’s doubles event was not included there but PR3 mixed doubles was given a place. PR3 is the category of rowers who can use their legs, torso, arms as well as sliding seat for rowing. Narayan had earlier won a bronze medal at the World Rowing Cup II in Poland in 2022 with his partner Kuldeep Singh.
In fact, there were not many female para rowers at his training centre, Army Rowing Node in Pune. Then one day in 2022, Narayan met Anita at the Artificial Limb Centre, an institute run by the Indian Army in Pune. After which he asked Anita to become his rowing partner, however, Anita had no idea what rowing as a sport entails.
Firstpost quoted Narayan as saying, “I was at the Artificial Limb Centre. I met Anita there, I told her that Asian Para Games are going to be held in 10 months. If she is interested, she can participate in it. However, Anita did not know about the sport, so I explained it to her in detail and when she agreed, she told me that she would have to take permission from the family. This was an opportunity for Anita to write a new chapter in her life.”
Anita and Narayan won the silver medal at the Asian Para Games in October 2023 with a timing of 8:50.71. Isn’t it incredible? Just 10 months after their chance meeting, both Anita and Narayan managed to become silver medalists at Asia’s top sporting event.
