At Sarita Devi's home in India, a deathly gloom descends

For those who know the struggles Sarita Devi went through to reach the heights she has, her controversial loss against South Korean boxer Park Ji-Na in the boxing semifinals at the Asian Games meant more than just a bad decision. “After all our struggles… watching my sister cry on TV after that match made me very sad. The last time I felt so sad was when my brother died. She deserved to win that particular bout but they stole her chance of entering the final,” her brother Rakesh Laishram told The Indian Express. [caption id=“attachment_1739997” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sarita Devi leaves her bronze medal at the podium. AP[/caption] It’s not an exaggeration when Rakesh compares the loss to a death in the family. Just like his five other brothers, he has witnessed first hand Sarita’s ability to beat the odds to become a boxer — a two-time world champion at that — and provide him another shot at his Bachelor of Arts degree from which he had earlier dropped out due to financial difficulties. In a revelation that would leave many reeling, he adds in the same report that Sarita would drink starch water from the rice made that day because her diet would not be sufficient for the type of training she was going through. There’s another reason for the adverse reaction to Sarita’s unfair loss. A win against Ji-Na would have assured a silver and a shot at gold — achievements which lead to government jobs or a promotion if you already have one. A decision like the one in Incheon not only robs athletes a chance at sporting glory, but also an opportunity to lift their families out of poverty. Click here to read the full Indian Express report.