Bhagwani Devi Dagar stood for India honorably by winning the 100-meter sprint gold medal at the 2022 World Masters Athletics Championships
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On March 27, 2023 Indian veteran Bhagwani Devi Dagar claimed the gold medal in the discus throw event at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championship 2023 in Torun, Poland. In the women’s 95kg category, she won the competition with a best effort of 4.67 which she attained in her first attempt only. Last year, she had given India a gold medal at the 2022 World Masters Athletics Championships in Finland by finishing the 100-meter race faster than everyone else in the 90 to 94-year-old age group.
Bhagwani Devi, who was born in the Haryana village of Khedka, married when she was just 12 years old and became a widow at the age of 30. By the time her husband died, Bhagwani Devi had already lost a baby boy, so she made the decision not to remarry, choosing to devote her entire attention to her young daughter and the other child she was carrying at the time.
After four years, her eight-year-old daughter also passed away too soon, leaving her toddler son as the only child. But Bhagwani Devi persisted, toiling away in the fields for long hours to support herself and her son. She also received help from her older sister, who had also wed into the same family. Eventually, Bhagwani Devi’s efforts were successful, and her son was hired as a clerk by the Delhi Municipal Corporation, which helped the family’s financial situation.
Soon enough, Bhagwani Devi had three grandchildren and was a grandmother. The oldest of them, Vikas Dagar, developed a keen interest in sports and, despite having coordination issues, went on to stand for India in several events, including the Asian Games. Vikas, a para-athlete who received the Khel Ratna Award, holds many records.
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She has also earned one gold and two bronze medals for India. In the July 2022 World Masters Athletics Championship, Bhagwani Devi Dagar won the gold medal. In Finland, she wins two bronze medals and one gold. Bhagwani Devi Dagar of Delhi has shown a sterling example of how to defy aging and do whatever it takes to be remembered as someone who made the country proud.
She stood for India honorably by winning the 100-meter sprint gold medal at the 2022 World Masters Athletics Championships in Tampere, Finland. She took control of the entire game in 24.74 seconds, winning her a gold medal in the process. In addition to this, she won three gold medals at the National Masters Athletics in Chennai earlier this year. As a result of her success in Chennai, she qualified for the World Masters Athletics Championships, which took place on June 29 in Finland, thanks to her victory. Athletes from 26 different states compete in 13 different age groups at the event, which hosts about 3500 athletes.
