Para Badminton Player Manasi Joshi shared an emotional post on her social media handle remembering the day she lost her leg in an accident and how her life would have been had things been normal. Joshi captioned the post,” 13 years of my road accident and life as a disabled person in India I know life is lovely but this day always reminds me of working in things even when they are not in our hands”
How did Manasi Joshi lose her leg?
Manasi Joshi who had just begun a career as a software engineer, suffered a tragic accident while commuting to work. It was December 2011 when 22-year-old Manasi Joshi was riding a motorbike to her first job. However 10 minutes into her journey, disaster struck as she took a U-turn under a flyover, a lorry travelling in the wrong direction ran over her leg. Joshi had six surgeries during the 45 days that she spent in hospital after the accident. Once the doctors realised they could no longer save her left leg, she underwent an above-the-knee amputation.
Manasi Joshi career from amputee to badminton star
Manasi’s sporting career began in earnest in 2015, following her recovery from the accident. She quickly made a name for herself on the international stage, participating in her first international tournament in Spain in 2014.
In 2015, she made her international debut in Para-Badminton World Championship in Spain, where she won a silver medal for mixed doubles in SL3.
Manasi won bronze in the women’s doubles category for the SL3 section at the 2016 Para-Badminton Asian Championships. She also won silver in the women’s singles SL3 event, defeating Katarzyna Zieibik at the 2016 Irish Para-Badminton International with another bronze medal in the women’s doubles event SL3 in the same tournament.
In August 2019 in Basel, Switzerland, Manasi created history by winning the BWF Para Badminton championship. Her iconic status among the Para athletes saw the makers of Barbie Doll creating a global brand: Manasi Joshi Barbie Doll in 2020 as a tribute to her story of willpower and bravery
In 2022 Manasi Joshi was given Arjuna Award for her achievements
