HYDERABAD: The human spirit can overcome everything, they say, and para-athlete Manasi Joshi lives by it. Losing a leg in an accident did not stop her from taking up badminton and representing the country. She is currently World No. 2 in SL3 Singles category. She won a gold medal at the Para-badminton World Championship 2019 held in Basel, Switzerland.
The shuttler, who underwent training in the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, was felicitated on Tuesday by the Hyderabad 10K Run Foundation. She received a cheque of `3 lakh from the foundation, which was handed over to her by Pullela Gopichand, chief national coach for Indian Badminton team.
Manasi said: “Receiving this honour in this month has great significance for me. It was on December 16 a few years ago that the doctors decided to amputate my leg. But I am thankful that today, I have made it here. I could not have done this without the overwhelming support of my family and friends. I used to play badminton with my father and had played a few matches at the district-level, but had never dreamt that this sport was going to give me so much. I chose this over being a software professional because this is something I need to do right now. Sport empowers you.” Gopichand saluted Manasi’s determination and said that her achievement was phenomenal.
— Kakoli Mukherjee
kakoli_mukherjee
@newindianexpress.com
@KakoliMukherje2