Who is Manasi Joshi? All you need to know about the Indian para-badminton player competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics
Para-badminton player Manasi Joshi made her debut Paralympics appearance at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and is currently competing in the women's singles S3 category. She had missed out on the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, as her category was not included in the competition.
Joshi, who was born in Rajkot, Gujarat, is the daughter of Girishchandra Joshi, a scientist at Bhabha Atomic Research Center. She started playing badminton professionally at age eleven. The 35-year-old is also a software engineer and has worked at ATOS India.
The talented athlete, faced the biggest challenge of her life when she met with a serious car accident in 2011. The incident took her ability to walk as her left leg was amputated.
But, for Manasi, the accident could not come in the way of her ambitions. She continued her dream of becoming a world-class athlete as she restarted her badminton training with a prosthetic leg.
Her hard work bore fruit when she won her first-ever gold medal at the 2017 Spanish Para-Badminton International. An Eklavya Khel Krida Puraskar awardee, Joshi, has gone on to win numerous competitions around the world.
With a Paralympics debut at 35 and a regular on the para-badminton circuit, Manasi is an inspiration for all youngsters.
A look at Paralympics debutant Manasi Joshi's career
Even though Manasi Joshi is appearing at her first Paralympic Games, she has enough pedigree to be termed a favorite. The star player has won close to 25 international medals so far.
Joshi first arrived on the scene with a silver at the 2015 BWF Para-Badminton World Championship. She then clinched two bronze medals at the 2016 Asian Para-Badminton Championship.
Manasi followed up with a women's singles bronze at the 2018 Para Asian Games and gold at the 2019 BWF Para-Badminton Championship. At the 2022 Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, she won two medals, a silver in doubles and a bronze in the singles event.
In 2022, Manasi Joshi achieved World No.1 ranking in the women's S3 category. She will now be aiming to add a coveted Paralympic medal to her cabinet. Manasi lost her first group-stage match 1-2 to Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh of Indonesia.