New Delhi: For Sharmila Dhankar, every throw carries the weight of a life rebuilt. From growing up in poverty in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district and surviving domestic abuse in her first marriage to selling the family home to sustain her sporting dream, the 40-year-old para shot putter has turned adversity into ambition as she prepares for her second Commonwealth Games (CWG).On Monday night, Sharmila scripted history by becoming India’s first-ever COmmonwealth Games para-athletics gold medallist. She delivered a landmark performance by winning the women’s shot put F57 title with a season-best effort of 9.81m, ending the nation’s 20-year wait for a para-athletics medal at the Games. The last para-athletics medal in CWG was won by Ranjith Kumar Jayaseelan in the men’s seated discus throw event in the 2006 edition.The F57 classification is for athletes with lower limb impairments, limb deficiencies or reduced muscle power.The seated thrower, who also competes in discus, headed into the Games on the back of an impressive showing at the Fazza International Para Athletics Championship in Dubai, where she won gold in shot put and bronze in discus.Her sporting journey began only at the age of 34. Sharmila contracted polio at the age of two, affecting her right leg and grew up in a family struggling to make ends meet. “My mother was blind, my father was a farmer and we had very little to survive. Life was never easy,” she told TOI.Married at 19, she endured years of domestic violence before returning to her parents’ home with her two daughters — Anju, now 15, and Lakshmi, 13. “One night, I was beaten from 11 pm to 3 am by my first husband and thrown out of the house. I never went back,” she recalled.Her life changed after her second marriage. Husband Ajit Singh introduced her to para sports and encouraged her to train under coaches Tek Chand and Devendra. In 2021, she made her debut at the Para National Championships and won gold with a national record.The following year, she finished fourth at the Birmingham CWG, narrowly missing a medal. She placed fourth again at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2023. Despite those strong performances, financial hardship persisted. To fund her career, the family sold their house in Rewari in 2023 and moved into rented accommodation. “Sport has given me a second birth. After winning medals in para CWG and Asian Games this year, I want to buy a house again,” she said.Sharmila had finished fifth at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi last year. Beyond medals, her biggest dream is to ensure that her daughters have the opportunities she never did. Both are budding athletes — Anju competes in the under-16 javelin throw, while Lakshmi is an under-14 long jumper. Sharmila hopes sport will help them build a future free from the hardships she had to overcome.
