Chennai Based powerlifter Arathi Arun bagged five gold medal for India in Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship held in Canada recently. A dental surgeon by the profession and a mother of two- Arun has bought many accolades to the country. She is Asian Powerlifting Championship Gold medalist.
Arathi Arun participated along with 28 other Indian athletes in the championship that was held from 15th September 2019 to 21st of the month. She won 5 Golds in 72 Kilogram category. Arathi received a grand welcome from her family and friends.
While speaking to ani she quoted “I am the only woman who has taken part in both the Asian platform and Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship. It is a very proud thing for me. After winning, I expected a lot of appreciation and support but I was not appreciated and was not given much support”
Arathi showed her disappointment in the government for not extending any support to her or appreciating her win.
“After my Asian Championship, I even sent an email to the Centre and State, requesting them for reward and appreciation. But they sent an email to me saying they will look into the matter but till now nobody has replied to me”, she said.
Arun added, “So, that is a letting down, as a sportsperson, at the end of the day when you come back to your motherland, you expect appreciation, you expect your people to love you and respect you for what you have done for the country.”
When asked if this will stop her from participating in further championships. She replied, “I will not stop; the fire in me is not going to stop. I am going to take part in the World Championship that is going to come in South Africa but if I am getting support from the government that will be an added bonus to me and I will really appreciate it,”
We wish her good luck for future championships and can’t express how proud we are of her. We also hope she gets the recognization she deserves. Way to go girl.