For Annam Tharangini, a bronze medal in the International Sepak Tekraw Championship in France on Sunday, was worth more than the gold given the journey she has embarked on more than a decade ago.
Reason? This young champion happens to be the only one from South India to be part of the bronze medal winning Indian team in France and quite naturally the only one from Telangana. Joining the ever-growing ‘Women Force’ of Hyderabad in the world of sports which includes some of the big names.
Winning medals at different levels is nothing new ever since she was first spotted by the Telangana Sports School coach Koyal Dhanraj after she was selected in the trials for admission to the institution.
A native of Khammam, this girl has shown an inclination to be different from the rest of the crowd since her early days into the sport with great commitment levels and determination, the coach recalls.
Tharangini’s success is also another tribute to the Sports School set up in combining academics and sports.
This young talent, whose father A. Venkateshwarlu is a Physical Education Teacher in Khammam, is clearly eyeing bigger things in the days to come.
“The dream is to represent India in the Asian Games. Thanks to the wonderful support of my coach Dhanraj Sir and to S.R. Prem Raj Sir, I was able to come this far. Will work really hard and this bronze in France is a huge motivation to dream big,” says the confident athlete.
Making a mark from a batch of 15 Sepak Tekraw trainees in the Sports School and moving up the ladder, Tharingini has clearly demonstrated what a talented sportsperson can achieve if one can combine the essential ingredients of passion, commitment and hard work with talent.
For someone who was a bronze medallist in the 2014 Beach Asian Games Championship in Thailand and two-time Senior national bronze medallist, this young champion has an impressive medal haul already – one silver and two bronze in international meets besides six gold, four silver and eight bronze at the National level in different categories.
“She is already a force to reckon with because of her skills and agility and will go to places,” signs off the proud coach.
