Kerala Policewoman- Assistant Sub-Inspector Mini Raju made the nation proud by winning two gold medals at the World Arm Wrestling Competition held in Turkey.
-- Advertisement --Mini Raju stated,
“This is the first time we (India) won so many medals. Also, after 1979, I am the first one to win double gold for the country at the event,”
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Raju was also the captain of the 43-member Indian contingent that participated in the world sporting event and clinched 13 medals — 3 gold, 5 silver, and 5 bronze- a haul which was a first for the country at the competition, according to Raju. And out of 13, 8 medals were won by arm wrestlers from Kerala.
Mini Raju told PTI,
“Every year, India used to send a 40–45-member contingent to the competition and used to come back with one or two medals. This is the first time we won so many medals.”
Mini Raju before entering the world of arm wrestling, was a state-level athlete who took part in the 100- and 200-meter heats and long-jump events and bagged various medals.
Raju joined the police force in 2001 and participated in many athletic events but an accident in 2008 that damaged the ligament in her leg ended her career in athletics.
She went to see an arm-wrestling competition organized by the Kerala Police Association’s Kozhikode district unit in 2018, and there she decided to participate in the event.
She added,
“Thereafter, I participated in an open district-level arm wrestling competition where I defeated several seasoned opponents and emerged as champion and strong woman in the district,”
