Special Olympics gold medalist now a labourer

JAIPUR: In 2007, 24-year-old cyclist Rajesh Verma was the cynosure of all eyes as he won the gold medal at the Shanghai Special Olympics. Nearly six years later, he is living in penury, working as a labourer to earn his livelihood under MGNREGA in Ladhuwala village in Sadulsahr in Sriganganagar district.
When he reached his village after winning the gold medal in 2007, he received a rousing welcome, but now he is fighting hard to earn a livelihood in the same village.
Verma, who has various gold medals under his belt in national and international cycling events, has failed to attract the attention of authorities. The gold medalist in cycling claimed the he moved from pillar to post to get a job but all his efforts went in vain. Now he has no other option left except working under MGNREGA. "I have no work. At the time when I returned home winning gold medal in Shanghai, someone promised to give me plot, some others promised to give me money but now more than five years have passed, I do not have a decent job. After winning the gold medal, I thought all my worries would end but it does not happen the same way," Verma said.
Verma claimed that wherever national and international sports event for special sportspersons were held, he had won medals. "I have medals but I do not have job. I have my father and mother to look after as they are getting old and cannot work. My father was also a labourer. Now, I have to take care of them," he said.
He had covered the distance of 10 kilometer in 15 minutes in the international event.
He studied at Tapovan Manovikas Vidhyalaya, where he started cycling. His school principal DK Singh, who is also a Special Olympics Rajasthan sports director said, "Verma is a talented cyclist. He won gold medals but he did not get what he deserves, which could improve quality of life. He is struggling to earn livelihood."
Singh said that Verma is intellectually challenged and his intelligence quotient is not as much as in normal children but he can work independently. "He has the ability to perform his own work independently as he is mildly intellectually challenged," Verma said.
But, it is unfortunate that he is living life in penury, he said.