Haryana:India’s Sharmila Dhankhar clinched the gold medal in the women’s para shot put F57 event at the Commonwealth Games with a season-best throw of 9.81 metres. Hailing from Chitrauli village in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district, Sharmila overcame severe polio, deep financial crisis, and an early marriage to reach the top of the podium.
Raised by a small farmer father and a visually impaired mother, she lacked access to medical treatment as a child. Her path to victory was so challenging that in 2023, she had to sell her own family home to fund her sports training, moving into a rented house to keep her athletic dreams alive. Under the guidance of coaches Tekchand and Devendra, she began training at the late age of 34, proving that determination knows no boundaries.
