Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Tokyo Paralympics: With an Asian Games gold already in her bag, Ekta Bhyan is hungry for more
Reigning Asian Para Games Champion, Ekta Bhyan, is all set to make her appearance at the Tokyo Paralympics in the Women's Club Throw F-51 event.
Ekta Bhyan, reigning Asian Para Games Champion, is all set to make her appearance at the Tokyo Paralympics in the Women's Club Throw F-51 event.
Ekta was 18-year-old when she met with a near-fatal road accident on her routine trip to her coaching classes. She sustained a spinal cord injury at the cervical level, which completely paralyzed her limbs. She survived a total of three surgeries and nine months on a hospital bed!
Coping with the rehabilitation and adamant not to allow the paralysis to control her life, Ekta went on to pursue Bachelor's and then a Master's degree in English Literature. This not only liberated her from financial dependence but also provided her with much-needed self-confidence. She later cracked her Haryana Civil Services, which she recalls made a massive change in society's behaviour towards her and her physically challenged lifestyle.
How it all started?
Ekta's academic laurels earned her limelight in a newspaper and deservingly so. This reached the ears of now-three times Paralympian and Para-Sports promoter Amit Kumar Saroha who quickly reached out and mentored Ekta in her endeavour at Para-sports.
What is F-51?
F-51 is a category for field athletics events. Athletes suffering from high degree movement restrictions due to compression in the trunk and limbs fall under this category.
However, the arm movement is affected moderate to a low degree.
F-51 CLUB Throw
All athletes make attempts while sitting. They rely on the strength of shoulders and arm length to generate enough inertia.
am glad to share that I am selected for Tokyo Paralympics.The hard work has transformed this wish into reality. It is dream of every athlete to represent our country in this greatest show of sports on earth. Now focused to win gold medal for my country @Paralympics #gratitude pic.twitter.com/vvVtQv4q6V
— Ekta Bhyan (@BhyanEkta) July 1, 2021
Sports didn't come as naturally to Ekta; she wasn't a 'sporty kid,' and Para-sports scared and challenged her. Her coach Saroha introduced her to his pet sport, club throw. After months of hard training, improvements were evident, and so was Ekta's rising interest.
It didn't take long before she tasted success at the international level, as she won the silver at Berlin Grand Prix 2016. There has been no looking back ever since for Ekta Bhyan who has since gone on to win the Asian Games club throw gold in 2018, and has been crowned the national champion in women's club and discus throw multiple times.
The 36-year-old is expected to start her Tokyo Paralympics campaign on 3rd September 2021.
