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• August 24, 2022

Manasi Girishchandra Joshi an Indian para-badminton player

Manasi Girishchandra Joshi is an Indian para-badminton player, the current World Champion and a changemaker. She started her professional sporting journey in 2015 and in 2020, she was ranked world no. 2 in women's singles in the SL3 category. On 8th of March 2022 she was ranked world number.

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 Biography:

Manasi was born in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat, India in a highly qualified family with her father, Girishchandra Joshi, being a scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. She was born in Ahmedabad but after some years shifted to Mumbai. Software engineer by profession, she completed her graduation in electronic engineering at the K.J Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai. She also worked at ATOS India in Pune as a software engineer.

Manasi was a sports enthusiast from childhood and practiced badminton with her father from the age of 6. She was highly skilled at the sport and competed at the inter-school tournaments and district tournaments. Growing up in a highly educated family, she decided to focus on her studies but also played the sport in her free time.

She faced a setback in 2011 when she was hit by a truck while returning home after her job on 2nd December 2011. In this accident, she was severely injured and had her left leg crushed for which she had her left leg amputated. She was discharged from the hospital after a treatment of 8 weeks and it took her about 5 months to walk properly with a prosthetic leg.

Being a fitness freak, Manasi started to go for a walk and practice badminton. Soon, she retrieved her badminton skills and practiced the sport on daily basis. She also played a badminton tournament at her corporate office and was fortunate to win the tournament. Everyone was astonished by her performance, and on the recommendation of her friend, Neeraj George, she trained professionally for the sport and started to compete at para-badminton tournaments.

Her first career breakthrough came at a national tournament, where she was the winner of the tournament conquering one of the best para-shuttler of India, Parul Parmar representing Maharashtra. In the same year, she tried her luck at the selection trials but was rejected. Later in 2015, she made her first international appearance at the 2015 Spain Para-Badminton World Championship and clinched a silver medal in mixed doubles in the SL3 category.

Manasi Joshi Biography: CAREER

• Without being highly depressed having a prosthetic leg, she took the badminton sport in her daily routine.
• She competed at her company’s badminton tournament, and fortunately was the winner of the tournament astonishing everyone with her performance.
• Manasi got highly motivated and won her first national medal defeating Parul Parmar in the finals at a national tournament in 2014.
• In the same year, she tried to find a spot at the 2014 Asian Games, but was unfortunate and was rejected.
• She made her epic comeback winning a silver medal in mixed doubles for the SL3 category during her first international appearance at the 2015 Spain Para-Badminton World Championships.
• In the consecutive year, she won bronze in both women’s and women’s doubles for the Sl3 category at the 2016 Para-Badminton Asian Championships.
• During the same year, she won silver in the women’s singles SL3 event defeating Katarzyna Zeibik with a score of 21-12, 11-21, and 21-10 at the 2016 Irish Para-Badminton International.
• She won a bronze in the women’s doubles SL3 event in the same tournament.
• In 2017, she bagged gold in women’s singles and a bronze in women’s doubles SL3 event at the 2017 Spanish Para-Badminton International.
• She was fortunate to grab gold in the same year at the 2017 Japan Para-Badminton Internationals in women’s doubles SL3 event.
• She was greatly inspired by Purella Gopichand. Manasi enrolled herself at his academy, P.Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad to shape her skills under his guidance.
• In 2018, she won two bronze medals, one in the women’s singles SL3 event at the Asian Para Games and another at the Thailand Para-Badminton International.
• At the 2019 BWF Para-Badminton Championship, Manasi clinched gold in the women’s singles SL3 event in the finals.
• This gold helped her to get qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics but unfortunately was not selected for the representation.

Manasi Joshi Biography: AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

• Maharashtra Rajya Eklavya Khel Krida Puraskar – 2017.
• National Award for Best Sportsperson with Disability – 2019.
• In 100 Inspiring Women’s List (BBC) – 2020.
• Self-Made Women (Forbes) – 2020.
• India Sportswoman of the Year 9 (BBC) – 2019.
• 2015 BWF Para-Badminton World Championship – Silver in singles.
• 2016 Asian Para-Badminton Championship 2016 –Bronze in singles and doubles. 
• 2018 Asian Para Games – Bronze in singles. 
• 2019 BWF Para-Badminton Championship – Gold in singles.

Manasi Joshi Biography: RECORDS

• Ranked as the World No.2 Para-Badminton Player in women’s singles SL3 category.

• Category:
• India Shining

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