9 medals for team from Asha Kiran Home: Once abandoned and homeless, today proud winners at Special Olympics

In August, Devi won the first gold for India in power-lifting at the Special Olympics World Summer Games (WSG), in Los Angeles. A team of ten sportspersons from Asha Kiran participated in the event, held between between July 25 and August 2, winning nine medals — three gold and six bronze.

“Their excitement can hardly be contained,” said Rachna Bhardwaj, superintendent of Asha Kiran Home.

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Most sportspersons from Asha Kiran, who participated in WSG 2015, had either been abandoned by their families or were destitute. “In most cases, we did not know where they came from or where their family members were, since they cannot speak,” says Bhardwaj.

The ten-member team had to undergo extensive training, for six gruelling hours every day, over a period of twelve months, to achieve this feat. “I am very happy and we had a lot of fun during the competition. But this could be possible only because of our hard work,” said Devi.

Before she bagged the gold medal at WSG 2015, Devi had participated in various district and state sports competitions, winning around 40 awards in badminton, athletics, kho-kho and power lifting.

Most members of the Asha Kiran team find it difficult to communicate. “Matru, who won the gold in softball, cannot talk. Similarly, Patto also does not speak but she can understand when someone addresses her. She won the gold in the 800-metre run,” said Bhardwaj.

For years, Asha Kiran officials struggled to provide sports training to its residents; they neither had enough funds nor was it easy to find coaches qualified to train people with mental disabilities. “At last, I decided to undergo sports training so that I could coach these children. I have been at Asha Kiran for 11 years.

Many of these children showed an interest in sports and it would not have been fair to deprive them of sports education due to lack of trainers,” said Seema, who coached the ten Asha Kiran athletes.

“We do not have decent gym facilities on campus. So, for a few months, they were taken to a private gym where they trained for two to three hours every day,” added Seema.