New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Cyclist Shivani, the winner of three gold medals at the Special Olympics World Games held in Berlin recently, epitomises the triumph of human spirit over adversity.
Afflicted with 60 per cent mental retardation (MR), the 21-year-old emerged one of the top medal winners from the country at the Games, where India won 202 medals, including 76 gold.
Standing barely five-feet tall, she started to learn cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic as her aunt felt she was getting bored in the confines of her house. Shivani had lost her father just before Covid-19 struck and her mother — also suffering from 60 per cent MR — couldn’t take care of her daughter, though she can manage house hold chores.
Being in a joint family, her aunt Sunita Datta started taking care of the special needs of Shivani after her father’s death.
“Shivani won medals in 500m, 1km and 2km cycling events in Berlin. She had interest in cycling and at the behest of her school teacher, we decided we will train her.
“When the Covid restrictions were eased, we used to take her out on long open stretches and nearby parks,” said Sunita, who was by Shivani’s side at a function, held to felicitate the winners of the Games here on Tuesday.
The function was attended by former President of India Ram Nath Kovind, ex-India cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir and Special Olympics Bharat chairperson Mallika Nadda among others.
“Shivani was afflicted by the illness since child birth. While all along we knew about it, she continued to study in a regular school. But when she failed in Class IX, her class teacher said, she needed to be admitted to a special school,” said Sunita.
“She was studying all the regular subjects like English, Hindi, home science, sanskrit, but she wasn’t able to grasp the things taught to her, so we had to move her to NIEPID Model Special Education Centre, Noida,” added Sunita.
“She very well understands what she has achieved and is looking forward to more such competitions in future. All along, she was very co-operative and understood that we were teaching her a new skill for her own good.” One of her maternal uncles coached her and her aunt taught her yoga and strength -training exercises.
Shivani just nodded her head when asked how she felt about her achievement. “Sab theek hai (it’s fine),” she said as she looked the other way round, oblivious to the cacophony of the celebrations her teammates were indulging in at the ceremony.
India won of 76 gold, 75 silver and 51 bronze at the Games, held between June 17-25, with the maximum medals coming in roller skating (31), followed by powerlifting (23).
A total of 6,500 athletes competed in the event.
Source: PTI News
