On November 30, 2022, the President of India will present Manasi Joshi, the top-ranked player in the world in para badminton and representative of India, with the Arjuna Award 2022. Joshi is now the second female para badminton player to win this esteemed prize.
Manasi Joshi, the top paraswimmer in the world, will receive the Arjuna Award on November 30
At the occasion, Joshi will be honoured with 24 other sports figures from other disciplines for their remarkable accomplishments in competitions and sports.
Joshi, who participated in the Hulic Daihatsu BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2022 in Tokyo and won two bronze medals in women’s singles SL3 and mixed doubles, all of which will be played in Paris in 2024, has just returned from Tokyo.
Manasi stated, “It’s an amazing honour to earn the prestigious Arjuna Award this year,” after being added to the list of recipients. My sports career has been nothing but an up-and-down experience, and my family is really proud of me right now. I’m grateful to the Indian government and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Being acknowledged for all of the effort put in both on and off the court feels amazing. This is a time to be inspired and encouraged to go beyond your comfort zone and achieve greater things.
On her way to work more than ten years ago, Joshi was involved in an accident that necessitated the amputation of her leg. After undergoing months of therapy, she began walking five months after the sad tragedy with the help of an artificial leg. She then used badminton as help to get back in shape and restore her confidence.
But while badminton became her preferred job, fate had other ideas for her. She won silver in a competition at the national level in 2014, and she later made her debut at an international competition in Spain. Then, in 2015, she made her dazzling debut at the Para-badminton World Championships, winning a silver medal. Then, in 2017, she won bronze.
She once again earned bronze in the Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018, but her path took a dramatic turn as she won the gold at the Para World Badminton Championship in 2019. Since then, she hasn’t looked back and is currently ranked one in the world for her sport.