Karnam Malleswari made VC of Delhi Sports University

The Twitter bio of Karnam Malleswari, the legendary weightlifter, is glorious. “First Indian Woman Olympic Medalist, Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awardee” – her bio is as dreamy as it gets. Malleswari will now be adding a new set of words, now that she has become the first Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Sports University.

The Delhi government has made Malleswari, who famously won bronze in weightlifting at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the VC of a sports university in a fitting manner. Since she is someone who hails from Srikakulam, her elevation has hogged the headlines in the Telugu media.

Married to weightlifter Rajesh Tyagi since 1997, the role model for women athletes and sportspersons had to withdraw from the 2002 Commonwealth Games following a personal tragedy. She retired from the field after her tryst with the Athens 2004 Olympics ended in disappointment.

In June last year, Tollywood producers MVV Satyanarayana and Kona Venkat of MVV Cinema and Kona Film Corporation announced a biopic on Malleswari. Sanjana Reddy was roped in to direct it. Due to the pandemic, the project has not taken off. There were false rumours that Rakul Preet Singh would essay the titular role in the biopic.