A total of 167 countries have participated in the Paris Paralympics. In which 84 players have been sent from India. Indian para players have participated in 12 sports. There are 32 women in the team of 84 players. Which includes the name of Avni Lekhara, the female athlete who won the first gold in the history of the Paralympics. Apart from this, the names of many female athletes including Mansi Joshi, Sakshi Kasana, Mandeep Kaur, and Kanchan Lakhani are included.
The story of these para athletes reaching the Paralympics is very interesting and inspiring too. These Indian women are representing India on the international stage today, but to reach this point, they have worked very hard and struggled, which every citizen of the country should know about.
Let us know the story of one such para athlete Mansi Joshi reaching the Olympics 2024.
Manasi Joshi lost in the Paralympics
With the start of the Paralympics, Manasi Joshi had to face defeat in Para Badminton. Despite winning the first game, Manasi Joshi lost to Indonesia's Kontia Ikhitar in the group-stage match. However, giving up is not a part of her life.
Who is Manasi Joshi
Manasi Joshi's father is a research scientist at Homi Bhabha Research Center. Manasi used to play badminton with her father in her childhood but she had no intention of making badminton a career. However, coaches Madhav Limaye and Vilas Damle trained her. During that time, Manasi was selected for the summer badminton camp of the Department of Atomic Energy. After this, she took badminton seriously and participated in many badminton tournaments in school, college, and district in the initial years.
Manasi Joshi's education
Manasi did her graduation in Electronics Engineering from KJ Somaiya College, Mumbai, and started focusing on a career as a software engineer.
Lost leg in a road accident
But she lost her left leg in a road accident. After which she started walking again with the help of a prosthetic leg. Five months after her physical injuries were cured, she went back to work but could not overcome mental depression.
Badminton brought her out of depression
To overcome depression, she started playing badminton. She realized that she could make a career in badminton. The first success came a year later when she won a silver medal in a national-level tournament. She played her first international tournament in Spain.
Won gold in the World Championship
Starting training again, she started going to Pullela Gopichand's academy in Hyderabad. Becoming a professional player in 2014, she won the silver medal in mixed doubles in the Para World Championship held in England the next year. Won a gold medal in the World Championship in 2019.
(PC: Google)
