When the going gets tough, the tough get going. This is certainly true in the case of Manasi Joshi who overcame all odds to win her maiden gold at the World Badminton Championships in Basel ( Switzerland).

30-year-old Manasi trained at Gopi Chand academy before competing in the women’s singles in Para World badminton championship defeating Parul Parmar who is also from India. She won 21-12, 21-7 to win her first gold at the championship.

Challenges Faced

Fate had been harsh on Manasi one day in 2011 when she was on her way to work and met with an accident. Her left leg was crushed, an arm was broken and there were several other injuries. Manasi remained undeterred by this tragedy and instead of being confined indoors, she took up badminton and started training. She played the nationals in 2014 and in just five years, she has become the world champion.  She has proved to the world that adversaries can be overcome with mental strength and determination.

World Champion

Manasi, in an exclusive chat with Sportstar, said that it felt great to be called a world champion. She said that it was never easy for any athlete and more so for someone like her who had to face adversity on all fronts to script this golden moment in her career. She had earlier lost to Parul in the Canadian Open, so the competition was very tough. She said it was a terrific experience to play at the same venue and share corridors with the other badminton greats like P V Sindhu.

Manasi hopes that after this win, life will change in terms of getting better recognition and support to chase her dream of winning a gold in Paralympics and next Asian Games.

Image Source: MyKhel