Ahmedabad Marathon 2023 witnesses an inspiring tale of wheelchair participant Ashish Kumar

With the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon celebrating a new chapter in its history by introducing the special wheelchair category in the landmark seventh edition of the race, it brought joy to as many as 22 wheelchair marathoners and six specially-abled walkers who took part in the city's mega event on Sunday.

One of them was Ashish Kumar, a 28-year-old participant, who experienced his first-ever marathon event as he finished a 5km race in the Samarth Champions Wheelchair Drive.

Celebrating his first-ever race, an elated Ashish said, "Since it was my first race, I was really excited, I didn't expect it to go smooth, but it turned out amazing. I have gained a lot of confidence, and I will push myself for a 10k run next year."

Ashish's journey has been nothing short of inspiring. The lower half of his body was paralysed after suffering a T9 spinal injury in an unfortunate car accident in 2013, and he had to go through a fair amount of emotional and psychological challenges.

"I didn't have much information on how to deal with it, and as a result, I went into depression. Those were very tough times, but I slowly accepted and kept myself active and occupied in the best way possible."

Ashish, who is a native of Uttar Pradesh, moved to Gandhinagar with his parents just six months ago. He is pursuing MSc in Chemistry and has been actively involved in wheelchair basketball and rugby. He recently turned out for Uttar Pradesh at the National Wheelchair Rugby Championship 2023 held in September and aspires to actively participate in individual sports.

"My friends who also have spinal injuries, introduced me to wheelchair Rugby. It's been one-and-a-half years since I started playing. I played the National Wheelchair Rugby championship in September, and it was a great experience for me. It helped me build confidence, and I would really want myself to take part in individual sports like Badminton and Table Tennis as well," he stated.

Having overcome various challenges in life, Ashish not only experienced his first-ever marathon but also inspired the whole city with his passion and dedication.

"I've recently moved to Gujarat with my parents, so this marathon provided me with the opportunity to interact with fellow participants and get to know their journey. I'm thankful to the organisers for introducing the wheelchair category. I didn't face any difficulties in terms of accessibility and everyone was really helpful throughout the course. So, I am just grateful for how the day turned out for me, and this will motivate me in varied ways. And I hope my story, and the stories of the others here go on to inspire a few more athletes," Ashish concluded.