Sharmila Dhankar’s story is not just about sport. It is about a woman who faced pain most of us cannot imagine and still found the strength to stand tall. On Monday night, she made history by becoming India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games para-athletics gold medallist. But behind this win lies years of struggle, abuse, and hardship that would have broken most people.
At 40 years of age, Sharmila won the women’s shot put F57 title with a season-best throw of 9.81 metres. This win ended India’s 20-year wait for a para-athletics medal at the Commonwealth Games. The last time India won a medal in this event was back in 2006, when Ranjith Kumar Jayaseelan won in the men’s seated discus throw.
Early Life Full of Struggle
Sharmila’s life did not start easy. She grew up in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district in a poor family. Her mother was blind, and her father worked as a farmer. There was barely enough money for the family to survive.
To add to her struggles, Sharmila contracted polio when she was just two years old. This illness affected her right leg and left her with a lifelong disability. Despite this, she grew up like any other child, unaware that one day she would become a national hero.
“My mother was blind, my father was a farmer and we had very little to survive. Life was never easy,” Sharmila told TOI.
A Marriage Filled With Pain
At the age of 19, Sharmila got married. But instead of finding happiness, she found years of suffering. Her first husband beat her often, and the abuse continued for years. She finally left him and returned to her parents’ home along with her two daughters, Anju and Lakshmi.
One night stands out most painfully in her memory. “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.
This one line tells us everything about the pain she went through. Yet, instead of letting this break her spirit, Sharmila found a new path in life.
A New Beginning Through Sport
Life took a turn for the better after Sharmila’s second marriage. Her husband, Ajit Singh, played a big role in changing her life. He introduced her to para sports and pushed her to try something she had never imagined before.
With the support of coaches Tek Chand and Devendra, Sharmila began training seriously. What makes her story even more special is that she started this journey at the age of 34, an age when most athletes are already thinking about retirement.
In 2021, Sharmila took part in the Para National Championships for the first time. She won gold and set a national record in her very first attempt. This win gave her the confidence to dream bigger.
Close Calls Before the Big Win
The next year, in 2022, Sharmila competed at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. She finished fourth, just missing out on a medal. It must have been heartbreaking to come so close and not win, but she did not give up.
In 2023, she faced another near-miss. At the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, she again finished fourth. Two fourth-place finishes in a row could have discouraged anyone, but Sharmila kept pushing forward.
During this same period, she also competed at the World Para Athletics Championships held in New Delhi, where she finished fifth.
Money Problems Along the Way
Even as Sharmila improved as an athlete, money remained a big problem. Training, travelling for competitions, and buying equipment all cost money that her family did not have.
In 2023, the family made a tough decision. They sold their house in Rewari to fund Sharmila’s sporting career. After selling their home, they moved into a rented house. This shows just how much the family sacrificed for her dream.
“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,” Sharmila said.
This single line shows her hope and determination. Even after losing her own home, she never lost sight of her goal.
Gold in Dubai Before the Big Stage
Before heading to the Commonwealth Games this year, Sharmila competed at the Fazza International Para Athletics Championship in Dubai. She performed well there too, winning gold in shot put and bronze in discus. This strong performance gave her the momentum she needed heading into the Commonwealth Games.
History in the Making
All her years of hard work, sacrifice, and pain led to this one moment. At the Commonwealth Games, Sharmila threw the shot put to a distance of 9.81 metres, a season-best mark for her. This throw was enough to win her the gold medal in the women’s shot put F57 category.
The F57 classification includes athletes who have lower limb impairments, limb deficiencies, or reduced muscle power. Given her polio-affected leg, Sharmila fits into this category, and now she stands as the best in the world in this event at the Commonwealth Games level.
This win holds huge value not just for Sharmila but for the entire country. It ended a 20-year gap since India’s last para-athletics medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Career Stats and Medal Table
| Year | Event | Result |
| 2021 | Para National Championships | Gold (National Record) |
| 2022 | Commonwealth Games, Birmingham | 4th Place |
| 2023 | Asian Para Games, Hangzhou | 4th Place |
| 2023/24 | World Para Athletics Championships, New Delhi | 5th Place |
| 2026 | Fazza International Para Athletics Championship, Dubai | Gold (Shot Put), Bronze (Discus) |
| 2026 | Commonwealth Games | Gold (Shot Put F57, 9.81m) |
A Mother First, An Athlete Always
Sharmila’s story is not only about her own success. She also thinks about her two daughters, Anju and Lakshmi. Anju, who is 15 years old, competes in under-16 javelin throw. Lakshmi, who is 13 years old, is an under-14 long jumper.
Both girls are following in their mother’s footsteps, competing in sports at a young age. Sharmila hopes that through sport, her daughters will get chances that she never had growing up. She wants them to build a life free from the hardships she faced.
This shows that Sharmila’s fight was never just for herself. It was also for her children, so they could have a better and safer future.
From Pain to Purpose
Looking back at Sharmila’s journey, it is clear that her path to gold was filled with more struggle than most people ever face. She dealt with poverty as a child, a disability from polio, years of abuse in her first marriage, and financial struggles even after finding success in sport.
Yet through all of this, she never stopped trying. With support from her second husband and her coaches, she found a new purpose in life through para sports. Starting at the age of 34, an age when many athletes are already done with their careers, Sharmila built herself into a world-class thrower.
Her journey from a small village in Haryana to the top of the podium at the Commonwealth Games shows the power of never giving up. Every throw she makes carries the weight of everything she has been through, and every medal she wins is a small piece of the life she is rebuilding for herself and her daughters.
Sharmila Dhankar’s story reminds us that no background is too poor and no past is too painful to stop someone from writing their own future. Her gold medal is proof that with hard work and support, life can change for the better, no matter how hard the start may have been.
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