Andhra Pradesh: Village Secretariat employee bags two medals in Paralympics

Galidevara Siva Gangadurga, who serves as the Secretary of Injaram Secretariat, has achieved remarkable success in the Para Olympics held in Thailand. She secured two gold medals in discus throw and javelin throw events, and also ranked fourth in shot put. Upon her return to Talleru, she was welcomed by MPDO M. Anupama, EOPRD Malladi Bhairavamurthy, office AO Chinta Mohanakrishna, panchayat secretaries, and secretariat staff. Siva Gangadurga hails from Guttenadevi village in I.Polavaram Mandal and has been serving as a Grade-5 Secretary in Injaram Secretariat-2 since 2019.

Despite facing challenges, Siva Gangadurga has always been passionate about sports. She attended a local convent school until class five and continued her education in high school until class ten. During her intermediate studies at AIIMS College, Mummidivaram, she experienced paralysis and lost her left arm. However, she persevered and completed her intermediate education.

After obtaining a B.Sc degree from Ravi College, Sunkarapalem, she enrolled in Andhra University to pursue an M.Sc in Space Physics. It was during this time that she learned about the Para Olympics and decided to participate in the event.

Although she secured a job as a secretariat secretary before completing her post-graduation, she had to discontinue her studies due to family circumstances. The Dr. YSR Sports Complex in Yanam played a crucial role in supporting para sports. In 2021, Siva Gangadurga won a gold medal in discus throw at the national level para sports competition held in Bihar.

Her exceptional performance in the national level competitions held in 2022 and 2023 earned her a place in the Para Olympics held in Thailand. Out of the 70 participants from India, only three were from Andhra Pradesh, and Siva Gangadurga emerged victorious by winning gold medals in discus throw and javelin throw in the F-35 category. She also secured the fourth position in shot put.