I am a para-athlete and a National Gold Medalist Wheelchair Basketball Player National Gold Medalist Wheelchair Racing Player Fellow 21 Km Wheelchair Marathon Runner. I have the disability polio and am a wheelchair user.
I did not have polio since birth, when I was 2 years old, I had a fever, and the village doctor did not cure it quickly and gave me injections in the morning and evening for 7 days, due to the treatment of very high power on the eighth day, I had a fever. Got off but my lower body was completely paralyzed and I could not even stand where I used to walk. After showing it in the big hospital, the mother and father came to know that this treatment was very hard for her, then Dr said thank you as if the child did not die, only the lower body was paralyzed.
In the village I come from, there was no awareness, there was no facility of any kind, and the calipers were not able to change what they have to change with age. I studied till graduation in my village and after that I did post-graduation in my district, with the help of my brothers, my education was completed with the help of my mother, after that I tried a lot for a job but somewhere.
My preparation for the government was going on, there were also a couple of call letters that were lost at that time because it probably took a long time for the call letter from the post to reach my home for 200 kms and I did not get some. Today the internet is everywhere, it was not in my village at that time. After going to the office, I came to know that the job had gone to someone else, my efforts were going on, I could not understand in life. There was a little pressure from the family, I was worried that I would get a job soon, then I decided that nothing like this is happening.
I was trying to get some good platforms somewhere in both Chennai and Pune. With great difficulty, I traveled to Poona after refusing my family members. Cause after that again i started job searching instead of going back home and I came to know that wheelchair basketball is a game in which i can play.
Got the coach's number, our basketball coach Captain Louis George who was already coaching the women’s wheelchair basketball team in Mumbai. I met him in Pune then he asked me to come to Mumbai that you come to Mumbai and join which was not possible for me then From, because my job was new, which was hardly available on a time tiffin and it was not possible to leave it and shift to Mumbai, then he told that there is no basketball woman steam in the history of Pune somewhere in Poona where you can practice.
And he said if you cook, then I will come from Mumbai and teach you free of cost, then there was hope and there were some WhatsApp groups wherever the different level of people were connected to me, I made the message viral there, and the team there till evening Became and from there the journey started, the first sport of my life was Sports Basketball, the first game and selection was done in National, some girls for Maharashtra, some girls for Gujarat team, Poona and that year Maharashtra Women's Wheelchair Basketball team won the gold medal.
Due to many holidays during the game, my performance in my private job was not good and my job also went away, as well as my disability increased where I could walk a little, now it became difficult to walk, it was also difficult to stand . Then I bought a second-hand wheelchair for myself because I wanted to become independent. Ever since using a wheelchair, I thought of giving a new turn to life, then I started participating in the wheelchair marathon "34th International Marathon 2019" in Pune On December 3, there was only 3.5 kms for wheelchair users. I had to do a 5-kilometer marathon which the organization did not even on request, then I came to know that the Chennai Marathon which is the second biggest marathon of India, and it also gives full marathon to wheelchair user so I got my name registered.
I completed the first 10 km marathon of January 2020 in 55 minutes which was without practice. From there I got a lot of confidence that yes running is my passion, it gives me happiness. Then I completed four to five marathons with able people in the Poona 10-kilometer marathon. It was nice to see that with able people they are giving me a chance to participate in the marathon while any other wheelchair users in Pune are boys or girls.
No one tried or was interested in running a long marathon. In a lockdown, I was shown a video wheelchair racing game from the Rio Olympics. It has a different type of racing sports wheelchair and only on synthetic tracks. I decided to go into this because racing is my potential. I started searching about this and then came to know that the platform of this game is not yet developed for women in India, there is an international player who can coach me. I contacted him and started training, the last year 2021 for the first-time representing Maharashtra state in wheelchair racing in Nationals, winning 100m bronze, and 200m bronze, winning two medals and becoming the first Maharashtra wheelchair racer.
This year, representing Tamil Nadu State in the 2022 National Wheelchair Racing Games, won three medals in 800 meters gold. Silver in 400m. Won bronze medals in 100 meters. My next dream is to represent India in the upcoming International Asian Championship, World Championship, and 24 times in this Olympic Wheelchair Racing game to win gold.
A para-athlete and a wheelchair user have to move forward through many difficulties, so my message to everyone else is never to give up in life, efforts should not stop until success is achieved, believe in yourself is very important to move forward with that Should increase. You definitely get success one day. Because boys move ahead with difficulties in life.
A National Gold Medalist Wants To Represent India In The World Championship
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