‘Win a medal for India’: Four-year-old's message to Indian mother chasing Asian Games medal

Winning a medal for your country requires sacrifices. But Indian discus thrower Seema Kaliramna is making one that many parents will understand.

The 27 year old is spending long periods away from her four year old son Rudra while preparing for the Asian Games in Japan.

And sometimes, one question keeps coming back to her.

“Am I taking away part of his childhood from him?”

Seema recently opened up about the emotional side of her journey in an interview with Indian media, revealing the sacrifices she is making while chasing her Asian Games dream.

Her husband Ravinder is also her coach, which means Rudra spends much of his time with his grandparents while his parents are at the national camp in Patiala.

“There are times when he tells me, ‘I want to be with you,’ so that’s the toughest part,” Seema told.

Perhaps the sacrifice becomes clearer when Seema talks about something most families take for granted.

She cannot remember the last time she went home and enjoyed a relaxed meal with her family. She estimates it has been three to four years.

Her journey back to the top has not been easy either.

After giving birth to Rudra in 2022, Seema developed severe arthritis. In another interview, she revealed that at one stage she could not walk even 10 metres or pick up her child.

She fought her way back and won Commonwealth Games bronze in Glasgow this year. Now she is chasing another medal at the Asian Games.

And beautifully, the person she misses the most is also giving her the motivation to keep going.

Her four year old son tells her: “You have to win a medal for the country.”

Sometimes a medal does not tell you everything an athlete had to sacrifice just to win it.