Manasi Joshi is a badminton player from India. She is the only Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics. She has been playing badminton since she was 6 and started playing competitively at age 11.
In 2011, Manasi got into a serious car accident and lost her ability to walk with her left leg amputated. But she didn't let that stop her from pursuing her dreams of becoming a world-class athlete. She started training for competitive badminton while also undergoing therapy to walk correctly with a prosthetic leg. In March 2017, Manasi became India's first female Paralympian by winning the women's singles gold medal at the 2017 Spanish Para-Badminton International.
The article will cover Manasi Joshi badminton achievements, her early life, and family background and most importantly how she is an inspiration for all.
Manasi Joshi’s early life
Manasi Joshi, born on 11th June 1989, in Rajkot, Gujarat, India, in a family of highly qualified people. However, she was raised in Mumbai. Her father Girishchandra Joshi is a scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Center. After a few years, she moved to Mumbai. She is a software engineer by profession. She completed her electronic engineering degree at the K J Somaiya College of Engineering in Mumbai. As a software engineer, she also worked for ATOS India.
Manasi, a keen sports fan since childhood, began playing badminton together with her father at the age of 6. Manasi was a skilled player and participated in the district and inter-school tournaments. She grew up in an educated household and decided to concentrate on her education while also playing the sport.
The accident
In 2011, she suffered a setback when she was hit by a truck on her way home from work. She sustained severe injuries in the accident and her left leg was broken. After 8-week treatment, she was released from the hospital. It took her 5 months to walk normally with a prosthetic leg.
Manasi is a keen fitness fan and began to take a walk every day. She soon regained her badminton skills and began to practice the sport every day. She won a badminton tournament at her company office. Everyone was amazed at her performance and, on the recommendation of Neeraj George, she began training professionally and began competing in para-badminton tournaments.
Paralympics career
Manasi’s badminton career came back to life when she participated in a badminton tournament for her company and was pleasantly the winner, which amazed everyone.
She made her first career breakthrough at a national tournament where she defeated Parul Parmar representing Maharashtra. She also tried her luck in the selection trials that year but was unsuccessful. In 2015, she was invited to the 2015 Spain Para-Badminton World Championship. She won a silver medal for mixed doubles in SL3 and made her international debut.
However, she tried unsuccessfully to get a place at the 2014 Asian Games that same year.
International appearance
During her debut international appearance at the 2015 Spain Para-Badminton World Championships, she won a silver medal for mixed doubles in the SL3 section.
She won bronze in the women's and men's doubles categories 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.
Manasi won gold in the women's singles event and bronze in the women's doubles SL3 at the 2017 Spanish Para-Badminton International. In the same year, she won gold at the 2017 Japan Para-Badminton International women’s doubles event.
In 2018, she won two bronze medals, one in the women’s singles SL3 at Asian Para Games and one at Thailand Para-Badminton International.
Manasi won gold at the 2019 BWF Para-Badminton Championship in the finals of the women's singles S3 event. This gold enabled her to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, but she was unfortunately not chosen for representation.
Tokyo Paralympics 2020
It all looked very promising for Manasi who had an incredible year of multiple consecutive wins in 2019, as she won:
- gold in both the single women's category at the 2019 BWF World Para Championships
- silver and bronze medals at the same tournament
- bronze medal at Asian Championships
- bronze medal at Asian Para Games
- bronze medal at multiple International Championships
Para-badminton was to make its Paralympics debut in Tokyo 2020. The games included 14 different categories. However, Manasi's section was not included in the Paralympics. This disappointed Manasi a lot and she even wrote a Tweet to express her sadness.
India has seven para-badminton competitors at Tokyo Paralympics. Participants include Parul Parmar and Palak Kohli.
Awards and achievements
Manasi Joshi is a woman of many talents. She is a motivational speaker, an exceptional badminton player, and a role model for the disabled. Let’s look at her major achievements since her tragic accident:
● The Maharashtra Rajya Eklavya Khel Krida Puraskar Award 2017
● National Award for the Best Sportsperson with Disability 2019
● In 100 Inspirational Women's List (BBC) 2020
● Self-Made Women (Forbes) 2020
● The Indian Sportswoman of the year 9 edition (BBC - 2019)
● 2015 BWF Para-Badminton World Championship Silver in singles
● 2016 Asian Para-Badminton Championship -Bronze for singles and doubles
● 2018 Asian Para Games - Bronze in singles
● 2019 BWF Para-Badminton Championship Gold in singles
● Ranked as the World Number.2 Para-Badminton Player in women’s singles SL3 category
How Manasi Joshi became an inspiration for all
Manasi Joshi is an inspirational figure who has shown that nothing can stop you from achieving your goals if you have the will to go on. She has bagged 22 medals so far at highly prestigious international tournaments and is definitely a woman who is living her dream.
To honor her inspiring story and celebrate her achievements, Barbie presented her with a Barbie doll in October 2020. So, there is a Manasi Joshi Barbie doll as a tribute to her incredible story, willpower and bravery.
Manasi Joshi is a woman who has been able to inspire people with her story.
It is not only that she has been able to inspire people with her story, but also the way she has been able to do it. She is an example of someone who was building her career, had a tragic accident that would make most people give up, and still managed to rise to the top.
FAQs
What happened to Manasi Joshi?
Manasi Joshi was hit by a truck while returning from work in 2011. Her left leg was also broken and she sustained serious injuries in the accident. She underwent several surgeries, however, doctors had to amputate Manasi’s left leg. After eight weeks of treatment, she was discharged from the hospital. She was able to walk again with a prosthetic leg after 5 months of treatment.
Why is Manasi Joshi not in the Paralympics?
Tokyo Paralympics does not feature a category in which Manasi is currently competing. The tournament features 14 different categories and some still expect that para-badminton with Manasi’s category gets some light in Tokyo in near future. Both Manasi and her fans were extremely disappointed to find out about Paralympics exclusion in 2020 but this will not stop her from trying to have her debut appearance in Tokyo throughout her career.
In what ways is Manasi Joshi an inspiring hero?
Manasi Joshi, the Para-badminton player, is an inspiration to many who have lost hope in their early years. Despite having her leg amputated due to a tragic car accident, she never gave up as a sportswoman.
She won a gold medal in the single women's section of the 2019 BWF World Para Championships, as well as a silver- and bronze-winning performance in the tournament held two years ago. She has also won bronze medals in the Asian Championships and Asian Para Games, as well as the International Championships.
She also has a Barbie that was inspired by her. On the International Day of Girl Child on October 11, 2018, the American company Barbie modeled a doll to her exact likeness.