Lakshita Shandilya, an 18-year-old athlete from Vadodara, India, is making waves in the running track with her impressive medal tally of 21. Despite coming from a family of long-distance runners, with her father working as a transporter, Lakshita has chosen to sprint down the tracks and break records. Her ultimate goal is to surpass the achievements of her idol, PT Usha, on the running track and represent India in the Olympics.
Lakshita has won medals in the 800-meter and 1500-meter races at tournaments where athletes from over 65 countries participated. She narrowly missed out on gold in the 800-meter race by just one second and the 1500-meter run by two seconds. Last year, she won two silver medals at the ISF World School Gymnasiad in France, which brought her into the spotlight.
The young athlete credits a lot of her success to watching videos of her idol, PT Usha. She has also received support from NGOs and good Samaritans, as well as her coach Rippandeep Randhwana. However, athletics is an expensive sport, and Lakshita requires professional training, quality shoes, and a good trainer. Her father’s earnings from the transport business help support the family, but it can be difficult to sponsor all of Lakshita’s costs.
Despite the challenges, Lakshita remains focused on her goals and is determined to succeed. She recently won a bronze medal in the All-India Inter-University Athletics Championships in the 1500-meter category and is now preparing to qualify for the Asian U-20 Championships. Lakshita started training for running at the age of 14 and initially played hockey. However, a sports coach suggested she take up an individual sport, which led her to conquer the home track and aspire to sprint internationally.
