Hyderabad: The reigning world champion in para-badminton, Manasi Joshi, is eager to make her country proud of the upcoming Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo in August. The 31-year-old is in the race to book accommodation in both doubles and mixed doubles with partners Arati Patil and Rakesh Pandey respectively.
Manasi, who had an accident in 2011 and took para-badminton, is confident that he would make it to the mega-event that badminton will make his debut. The athlete is also delighted that the match will become more popular after being included in the event. ‘I’m very happy that badminton is making its debut. It gives a big boost to the game and more and more physically disabled people will start doing the sport. “It’s a big problem for me, ‘she said.
However, she is a bit disappointed that there is no singles event in the Games category in SL3 in which she competes. ‘Yeah, that’s a little disappointing. If singles had been there, I would have assured India of a gold. I am determined to give my best and return with a medal in doubles and mixed doubles, ‘said Manasi, who won a gold medal at the 2019 Paralympic World Championships held in Basel, Switzerland. is. She also won a silver (2015) and bronze (2017) of the event.
The athlete said the ongoing pandemic disrupted their training. “Both my partners Arati Patil (Maharashtra) and Rakesh Pandey (Haryana) train in their respective cities and I train in Hyderabad. We could not practice together due to the lack of funds and also the constant coronavirus pandemic. But we are constantly talking on the phone and discussing what training we should undergo. We have a good understanding and have been playing together for almost two years. We focus on communication skills that are important in doubles. We make sure we are on the same page and are constantly communicating. Manasi and Arati are placed in 13th place in the doubles, while in the mixed doubles Manasi and Rakesh are at number 15.
Regarding athletes from other countries who trained, she said: ‘Of course they have an advantage. They trained because the situation in their countries is better. But we also know that Indians are more resilient and better at picking things up quickly and adapting to situations. ”
She is in good shape as she recently won a silver in singles and a bronze in doubles with Arati Patil at the Dubai Para-Badminton International in April. She also said that life changed after winning the 2019 World Cup. “A lot of things happened. Last year I was listed as TIME Next Generation Leader, a Barbie I think is modeled on. I was the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year (2019), BBC 100 Women (2020). I was also in Forbes India, Homemade Women of 2020. I was also awarded the Athlete of the Year which is different. I used my voice to talk about the problems we face in our daily lives, ”she added.
Source: Telangana Today