Kannagi Nagar Karthika

R. Karthika (born c. 2008) is an Indian kabaddi player from Kannagi Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She is best known for captaining and later serving as vice-captain of India's under-18 girls’ kabaddi team, which won the gold medal at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, where the team defeated Iran 75–21 in the final. Coming from a working-class community, she is widely regarded as a symbol of sports-driven upliftment for girls from under-privileged urban areas. She also commonly called as Karthika Express and Kannagi Nagar Karthika.

Early life and background Karthika hails from Kannagi Nagar, a large tenement area in southern Chennai, Tamil Nadu, home to more than 20,000 families. M. K. Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, presented each of R. Karthika and Abinesh Mohandhas with a cheque of ₹ 25 lakh in recognition of their gold-medal performance at the 2025 Asian Youth Games.

Challenges and future prospects Despite her success, Karthika continues to train in less-than-ideal infrastructure: the girls’ team still practices outdoors, and they have long sought an indoor kabaddi facility in Kannagi Nagar. The state government has since assured support, including training infrastructure and according to reports a house and job after she turns 18. Going forward, her inclusion in senior national camps suggests her potential to progress into the senior Indian women's team.