National Sports Day: Famous Para-Athlete Champions Taking India To The Internationals!

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They say a woman can do anything! Yes, from glorifying in different fields to taking the country to the international level, they are doing everything. Even when life hits them hard, they do not back off!

On the occasion of National Sports Day, here’s a tribute and a sincere thank you to some of those path-breaking female para-athlete champions who have glorified India in the world of para-sports.

Deepa Malik

An international para-athlete from Haryana, Deepa was diagnosed with a spinal tumour in 1999. She went through three surgeries and with 183 stitches in her shoulder blades for 14 years, Deepa was left paralysed from the waist down.

She became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Paralympic Games in 2016. An Arjuna awardee, she is currently the world number one in the F-53 category and the only Indian female para-athlete to win medals in three consecutive Asian Para Games (2010, 2014, 2018).

Participation & Achievements

National and State level medals – 51 Gold, 5 Silver, 2 Bronze
International medals – 23

Holds An Official IPC Asian Record In Javelin F-53 Category – Felicitated by Milkha Singh and P.T.Usha
Holds All Three National Records In Throws [Discus, Javelin, Shot-put] In F-53 Category
Holds All Three National Records In S-1 Swimming Category [Back Stroke, Breast Stroke, Free Style]

President Role Model Award
Arjuna Award
Haryana Karambhoomi Award
Padmashri Award
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Karamaveer Chakra award

Karamjyoti Dalal

An international para-athlete from Haryana, Karamjyoti fell from the terrace, which affected her motor sensation.

Currently a coach at Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana, she was a kabaddi player before her accident.

Participation & Achievements

Two Bronze medals at Asian Games, 2014
Ranked as world no. 8 at Asian Games 2014
Bronze Medal at World Para-Athletic Championship, 2014
Gold Medal at Fazaa Grand Prix, 2017

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.

Participation & Achievements Asian Para Games, 2018

Silver medal at BWF Para-Badminton World Championships, 2015
Bronze medal at BWF Para-Badminton World Championships, 2017
Bronze medal at Asian Para-Badminton Championship, 2016
Bronze medal at Para-Badminton International Women’s singles, 2018
Bronze medal at Asian Para Games, 2018
Gold medal at BWF Para-Badminton World Championships, 2019

Ekta Bhyan

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.

Participation & Achievements

Silver medal at IPC Grand Prix, 2016
Gold medal at National Para Athletics Championships, 2016
Two Gold medals at National Para Athletics Championships, 2017
Gold medal at Asian Para Games, 2018
Gold medal at IPC Grand Prix, 2018
Bronze medal at IPC Grand Prix, 2018
Two Gold medals at National Para Athletics Championships, 2018
Bronze medal at National Para Athletics Championships, 2018
National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2018
State Award by Honourable Governor of Haryana, 2018
ESPN Athlete of the Year (Para Athlete), 2018

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.

Participation & Achievements

Gold medal at Asian Para Games, 2018
Two Silver medals at Asian Para Games, 2018
Bronze medal at Asian Para Games, 2018

Parul Parmar

An international para-badminton player from Gujarat, Parul was afflicted by Poliomyelitis at a young age.

She is a three-time world champion, ranked world number one in para-badminton women’s singles SL3 and was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2009 by the Government of India and Eklavya Award by the Government of Gujarat.

Participation & Achievements

Bronze medal at Asian Para Games, 2010
Silver medal at Asian Para Games, 2014
Gold medal at Asian Para Games, 2014
Gold medal at BWF Para-Badminton World Championships, 2015
Gold medal at BWF Para-Badminton World Championships, 2015
Gold medal at Asian Para Games, 2018
Gold medal at Para-Badminton International Women’s singles, 2018

August 29 is observed as the National Sports Day in India in the memory of Major Dhyan Chand, the renowned hockey player who won gold medals in Olympics for India.

Participation & Achievements Details

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We have all seen scenes in movies where a man clutches his chest and falls to the ground within seconds. What we may not have seen or thought about is that the scene can very well have a woman in it. Heart attack in women is more common than you think. But studies indicate that heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in women. In fact, women are less likely to survive a heart attack compared to men.

The risk of heart diseases to both sexes is high, but heart diseases affect men and women differently.Over one crore annual deaths are reported in India and cardiovascular diseases cause 20.3% deaths in men and 16.9 % deaths in women. Each year more women die of heart disease than men, yet heart disease and related risk factors are often overlooked in women.
www.narayanahealth.org

Symptoms of Heart Attack

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked. The blockage is most often a build-up of fat, cholesterol and other substances within the arteries that block the blood flow to the heart.

The common symptoms of heart attack are

Chest pain
Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint
Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders
Shortness of breath

Although determining exactly when a heart attack can occur is impossible, in most cases the body does send out warning signals of an impending heart attack.

Chest pain

Chest pain is one of the most common indicators of a heart attack. The pain can be a feeling of pressure, fullness, tightness or extreme pain causing extreme discomfort. Women often do not feel extreme chest pain which is a more common symptom in men

Jaw Pain

Pain on the left side of the jaw along with other symptoms such as chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath is an indicator of heart attack

Shoulder and Neck Pain

Chest pain can also extend to the shoulder and neck. This may be mistaken as pain due to exhaustion or muscle stress.

Left Arm Pain

Sudden and unusual pain on the left arm (or sometimes both arms) starting off from the chest is indicative of heart attack.

The warning signs may start to show up days before the heart attack, but women tend to ignore the symptoms of heart attack because of the lack of knowledge about the symptoms and often dismiss these as stress and exhaustion.

Top heart attack symptoms in women

One month before a heart attack	During a heart attack
Unusual fatigue (71%)	Shortness of breath (58%)
Sleep disturbance (48%)	Weakness (55%)
Shortness of breath (42%)	Unusual fatigue (43%)
Indigestion (39%)	Cold sweat (39%)
Anxiety (36%)	Dizziness (39%)
Heart racing (27%)	Nausea (36%)
Arms weak/heavy (25%)	Arms weak/heavy (35%)

Source: Circulation 2003, Vol. 108, p. 2621.

How and Why Heart Attack is different for Men and Women

Blood lipids

Before menopause, the estrogen in women helps protect them from heart disease by increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol. The estrogen levels fall at menopause. Elevated triglycerides accompanied by Low HDL and high triglycerides increase the risk of heart attacks in women after menopause.

Diabetes

Studies show that diabetes increases the risk of heart disease in women more than it does in men. This is perhaps because women with diabetes more often have other added risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol. In women who’ve already had a heart attack, diabetes doubles the risk for a second heart attack and increases the risk for heart failure.

Metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of heart disease risk factors that increase your chance of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Metabolic syndrome is the most important risk factor for having heart attacks in women.

Smoking

Research indicates that women who smoke are more likely to have a heart attack than male smokers. This may be because women find it more difficult to give up smoking as compared to men. Nicotine replacements and other anti-smoking options are also less effective in women because their menstrual cycles tend to affect the tobacco withdrawal symptoms.

Caring for your Heart

There are several things that you can do in order to reduce the risk of a heart attack in women or men.

Don’t smoke or be exposed regularly to other’s smoke – Active and passive smoking can increase the chances of getting a heart attack.
Lead an active lifestyle – Physical activity, at least 30 mins of moderate-intensity exercise, on most days improves your heart health.
Eat healthy – Avoid high cholesterol foods. Have a nutrient rich diet with whole grains, leafy vegetables, nuts and lean proteins.
Aim for a healthy weight – Discuss the ideal weight for you with your doctor based on your height, age and health conditions. Try to work towards maintaining the weight.
Reduce stress – Exercise, adequate sleep, relaxation techniques, and meditation are some of the practices to follow that can reduce stress.

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