Here is a tribute and a sincere thank you to some of those path-breaking female champions who have glorified India in the world of para-sports.
Deepa Malik
An international para-athlete from Haryana, Deepa was left paralyzed from the waist down after spinal tumor surgery. She is an Arjuna awardee and the only Indian female para-athlete to win medals in three consecutive Asian Para Games. She announced her retirement from sports in 2021 and is now the chief of the Paralympic Committee of India.
Bhavina Hasmukhbhai Patel
Bhavina is a Para table tennis player from Mehsana, Gujarat, who plays table tennis in her wheelchair and has won a number of gold and silver medals in national and international competitions. Bhavinaben Patel signed off with a historic silver medal in her maiden Paralympic Games after going down 0-3 to world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the women’s singles class 4 final at the Tokyo Paralympics 2021.
Sonalben Manubhai Patel
Sonalben Manubhai Patel is an international Para table tennis player and Asian medalist from Viramgam, Gujarat. She is debuted in wheelchair class 3 para table tennis in Tokyo Paralympic 2020. Sonalben Patel participated in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics but Sonalben however couldn’t make the cut to the next round.
Sakina Khatun
Sakina Khatun fought polio to become India’s first powerlifter. She won a bronze medal in Weightlifting at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Sakina finished fifth in the women’s 50kg category at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics.
Ekta Bhayan
An international para-athlete from Haryana, Ekta met with a road accident damaging her spinal cord in 2003. She made a record by winning gold at the Asian Para Games in 2018. She also earned one gold and one bronze at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, 2019.
Karmjyoti Dalal
An international para-athlete from Haryana, Karamjyoti fell from the terrace, which affected her motor sensation. Currently a coach at the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana, she was a kabaddi player before her accident.
Manasi Joshi
An international para-badminton player from Mumbai, Manasi lost her leg in an accident in 2011. A software engineer based out of Gujarat, she created history by clinching gold at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in 2019.
Jennitha Anto
A Woman International Master from Tamil Nadu, Jennitha caught polio at age three. She is a six-time champion of the World Chess Championship for the Physically Disabled conducted by IPCA, consecutively from 2013 to 2017 & 2019.
Parul Parmar
An international para-badminton player from Gujarat, Parul was afflicted by Poliomyelitis at a young age. She is a three-time world badminton champion and was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2009 by the Government of India and Eklavya Award by the Government of Gujarat.