CHENNAI: Prachi Yadav is set to become India’s first paracanoe athlete at the Tokyo Paralympics, but qualification doesn’t mean her struggles are over. The 25-year-old from Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) now wishes to train abroad ahead of the marquee event and for this, she needs support from the government.
“Exposure trip abroad will be possible if she is included in TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) or get special funding from Sports Authority of India. A mail requesting the sports ministry has been sent and we are expecting a positive reply,” Prashant Kushwaha, secretary-general of Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, told this daily.
Already a champion para swimmer, Prachi switched to paracanoe on her coach’s insistence in 2018. And it turned out to be a masterstroke. “Virender Kumar Dabas sir from LNIPE, Gwalior asked me to switch to paracanoe as I got long arms. The decision worked,” said Prachi, who has a disability below her waist.
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) reallocated the quotas a few days ago helping Prachi, who is ranked 10th, to make the cut in women’s VL2 200m event. She was supposed to compete in the qualifier scheduled in Szeged, Germany from May 13 to 15, but travel restrictions meant she had to withdraw. “I finished eighth in the 2019 ICF World Championships in Germany. Top six qualified there. I also took part in the test event held in Japan last year and finished 10th. This helped me when the federation reallocated the quotas.”
Coach Mayank Thakur, who is also the chairperson of the India Para Kayaking and Canoeing Association, played a key role in Prachi’s transformation as a canoeist. He even designed a boat for her as the country doesn’t have one for a para athlete. Thakur, however, credits ICF for helping Prachi qualify. “The ICF allowed her to participate in the talent identification camp twice (Hungary and Germany). The camps gave her an opportunity to learn the sport and develop requisite skills,” said Thakur.
With the qualification done, the canoeist’s next target is to train abroad. “I am training at the Lower Lake in Bhopal but due to lockdown, gyms are closed. I need to work on endurance. Most importantly, I need to acclimatise. As I witnessed during the test event in Tokyo last year, the weather will play a huge factor. Heavy winds make it difficult for the participants and to counter, I need to experience the same conditions. I am hopeful permission will be accorded for foreign exposure trip ahead of the Paralympics.”