Ragala Venkat Rahul is an Indian weightlifter, who participates in the 85 kg category. He won a gold medal at Commonwealth Games 2018 in the 85 kg men’s category.
Wiki/Biography
Ragala Venkat Rahul was born on Sunday, 16 March 1997 (age 25 years; as of 2022) in Stuartpuram, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Pisces. He did his schooling at AP Sports, Hyderabad. He then attended Acharya Nagarjuna University, Andhra Pradesh.
Physical Appearance
Height: 5′ 9″
Weight: 85 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
He belongs to the Yerukula community.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Ragala Madhu, is a kabaddi player. His mother’s name is Neelima. His brother, Kunal Varun, is a weightlifter, who has won more than 60 medals in weightlifting. His sister, Madhupriya, is a kabaddi player.
Ragala Venkat Rahul with his parents
Ragala Venkat Rahul with his brother
Ragala Venkat Rahul with his sister and father
Career
Ragala started his weightlifting training at Telangana State Sports School, Telangana. He then started participating in various national and international weightlifting competitions such as:
- 2011: Asian Youth Championships
- 2012: Commonwealth Youth Championships
- 2012: Asian Youth Championships
- 2012: Asian Junior Championships
- 2013: IWF Youth World Championships
- 2013: Asian Youth Championships
- 2013: Commonwealth Youth Championships
- 2013: Commonwealth Junior Championships
- 2014: Asian Youth (Yog Qualification) Championship
- 2014: 2nd Youth Olympic Games
- 2014: IWF World Championships
- 2015: 22nd Women And 29th Men Asian Junior Championships
- 2015: Commonwealth Championships
- 2015: Commonwealth Junior Championships
- 2016: Asian Championships
- 2017: Commonwealth Junior Championships
- 2017: Commonwealth Championships
- 2017: IWF World Championships
- 2018: XXI Commonwealth Games
Ragala Venkat Rahul at Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast
- 2019: EGAT’s Cup International Weightlifting Championships
- 2019: Commonwealth Senior Championships
His national coach is Vijay Sharma.
Ragala Venkat Rahul with Vijay Sharma
In 2015, he was appointed as a ticket collector by the Secunderabad Railway Station.
Medals
Gold
- 2013: Asian Youth Games, Nanjing
- 2017: Commonwealth Championships, Gold Coast
- 2018: Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast
Ragala Venkat Rahul with his medal at Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast
Silver
- 2014: Youth Olympic Games, Nanjing
- 2015: Commonwealth Championships, Pune
- 2019: Commonwealth Championships, Apia
Car Collection
- Toyota Innova Crysta
Ragala Venkat Rahul’s Instagram post about his car
- Mahindra Scorpio
Ragala Venkat Rahul with his car
Facts/Trivia
- Ragala’s father being a sportsperson wanted his children to make their careers in sports. In the 90s, his father enrolled Ragala and Kunal (Ragala’s brother) in a sports school in Hakimpet, Telangana. They studied there up to class 3. Ragala’s father then decided to shift to a city along with his family, and he collected Rs 25 lakh and moved to Hyderabad. During an interview, Ragala’s father shared that he always believed in the potential of his sons. He said,
I always believed in the potential of my sons and know that they will win medals in the Commonwealth Games. Though I am a sportsman myself, I never got any encouragement, and that made me determined to train my sons.’’
- In 2018, Ragala took a rest of 7 months from weightlifting as he suffered a minor knee injury after the Commonwealth Games 2018. According to the sources, he paid a medical bill of Rs 5 lakh to recover from the injury. Post recovery, he won a medal at the Inter-Railway Championship.
- Ragala Venkat Rahul follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He has got a tattoo of his parents inked on his chest. During an interview, while talking about the tattoo, he said,
My mother passed away two years ago and I got this tattoo two months after her loss. It is my way of showing my love for them.”
Ragala Venkat Rahul’s tattoo