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Manasi Joshi lost her leg in a horrific road accident but found her calling - and international recognition - on the badminton court.
Now the inspirational para badminton world champion, who featured on the cover of Time magazine last month and has a Barbie doll created in her image, is targeting Paralympic gold when the sport debuts in Tokyo next year.
Eight years ago, she was a 23-year-old software engineer riding her scooter to work in Mumbai when a truck smashed into her, crushing her left leg and breaking both arms.
Manasi's severely injured leg was amputated and she faced months of rehabilitation to learn to walk again.
But the accident could not damage her spirit and the young woman was determined to build her strength by playing her favourite sport, badminton.
"It has been a journey about learning and accepting different things," said Manasi, now 31, from her home in Ahmedabad.
"Working hard on things that looked hard but are a new normal now. So I have come a long way."
Fitted with a prosthetic leg three months after the accident, she returned to the court to pursue her passion.
She started playing badminton at the age of six and used skills honed through success in school, college and office competitions to find her winning edge again.
Five months after putting on the artificial limb, Manasi won her first gold in an office tournament against able-bodied players.
"I used more of my mind. Made people run, made sure that wherever I put the shuttle they ended up giving it to my hand so that I could finish the point," she said.
"It was a turning point after my injury and the win certainly boosted my confidence."
Emboldened, she trained harder with the support of her family and eventually quit software engineering to play badminton full-time in 2016.
Two years later, she joined national coach Pullela Gopichand's academy in Hyderabad and became a member of India's national para-badminton squad.
Last year, Manasi won the singles gold at the para-badminton world championships - making 2019 a seminal year for India's female badminton players with P.V. Sindhu also victorious as world champion.
Time magazine featured Manasi on the cover of its Asia edition last month as one of eight global "next generation" leaders.
The United States makers of the famous Barbie doll celebrated the achievements on the International Day of Girl Child on Oct 11 with a Barbie modelled on her.
"I feel honoured to be a part of all this. And I think this will inspire people and they will believe that everything is possible," said Manasi, adding that there is growing acknowledgement of the achievements of differently-abled athletes.
"The whole narrative is changing."
A new challenge now awaits Manasi with the Covid-19-delayed Paralympics in Japan next year in the mixed doubles and women's doubles fields, as no singles events will be played.
She is training six days a week, sometimes twice a day, focusing on boosting her strength and stamina.
With her every step of the way in her quest for qualification will be her family, notably her brother and coach Kunjan Joshi.
"These are the people who, I see, are working hard to change the whole script (of my life) and making sure that I give my 100 per cent," she said.
AFP
"I used more of my mind. Made people run, made sure that wherever I put the shuttle they ended up giving it to my hand so that I could finish the point." - Para badminton world champion Manasi Joshi
