Manasi Girishchandra Joshi

Manasi was born in Rajkot, Gujarat and she was raised in Anushaktinagar, Mumbai. She graduated in Electronics Engineering from K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering, University of Mumbai, in 2010. Sports lover, Manasi played sports such as football and badminton through her school and college life. Joshi was six when she started playing badminton with her father, a retired scientist from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and over the years she represented her school, college and corporate at various tournaments. After finishing graduation in 2010, she worked as a software engineer until December 2011, when she met with a road accident while riding her motorbike to work, and her leg had to be amputated. After 45 days of hospitalisation, Manasi got discharged from MGM hospital Vashi, Navi Mumbai.

Career

During 2012-2013 after her accident, Manasi started practicing yoga, meditation and badminton to regain her fitness. She played badminton as part of her rehabilitation and another para-badminton player urged her to try out for the national team; she was selected for Asian Para-Games 2014 and played her first international tournament in Spain. In 2015, Manasi along with her XD partner won a Silver medal in mixed doubles at the BWF Para Badminton World Championship held in Stoke Mandeville, England.  In 2018, she asked Pullela Gopichand to coach her, and enrolled in his badminton academy at Hyderabad.

In September 2015, Joshi won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the Para-Badminton World Championship held in Stoke Mandeville, England. In October 2018, she won a bronze medal for India at the Asian Para Games 2018, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In August 2019, at the Para-Badminton World Championship 2019 in Basel, Switzerland, she beat her countrywoman Parul Parma to win a gold medal.

Manasi is based out of Hyderabad, India, and she is currently preparing to qualify in para badminton at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics to be held in September 2021.

Awards and recognition

• 2017 – Maharashtra Rajya Eklavya Khel Krida Puraskar (Highest State honour)
• 2019 – National award for Best Sportsperson with Disability (female)
• 2019 – Differently abled athlete of the year award at ESPN India Awards
• 2019 – Times of India Sports award for Best para-athlete of the year
• 2019 – Aces 2020 Sportswoman of the Year (Para-sports) Hindu Newspaper (Nominee)
• 2019 – BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year
• 2020 – TIME Next Generation Leader
• 2020 – BBC 100 Women
• 2020 – Forbes India, Self-made Women of 2020

Medals

Major tournaments

• 2015 medal in mixed doubles, Para-Badminton World Championships
• 2016 Bronze in women’s singles & women’s doubles, Para-Badminton Asian Championships 
• 2017 Bronze in women’s singles, Para-Badminton World Championships
• 2018 Bronze in women’s singles, Thailand Para-Badminton International
• 2018 Bronze in women’s singles, Asian Para Games 2018
• 2019 Gold in women’s singles, Para-Badminton World Championship, Basel, Switzerland

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