Hyderabad, Aug. 30 -- Preparing for her 10thstandard pubic exams, Budda Reddy Aruna's world came crashing down with her father's demise. Till then her doting dad had ensured she went around only by car, took care of her every need in her love for Shotokan karate and gymnastics.

Good times soon turned bad. Her mother gave her Rs. 20 a day to meet bus fare for school, her training and the trip back home. On one occasion, what little money she had left was stolen from her bag at the stadium. She had to walk the 10 kms home ! But her home-maker mum would say hardships only made people tougher.

Not yet 10, Aruna struck gold in the table vault at the 2005 sub junior Nationals in Maharashtra. That feat fuelled her ambitions, her rise in the sp...