"It was a life-changing moment for me when I won my first gold", Ekta Bhyan

Representing onersquos country at the international level is an incredible achievement and doing so despite a disability requires extraordinary grit and determination Ekta Bhyan a remarkable paraathlete has brought immense pride to India with her achievements She competes in three different parasports discus throw club throw and paratable tennis showcasing her versatility and dedicationSpeaking about her inspiration behind choosing paradiscus throw It was in 2016 that I participated in my first nationals and the credit goes to my coach Mr Amit Saroha Arjuna awardee He mentored me and gave me coaching for the events discus throw and club throw It was a lifechanging moment for me when I won my first gold at the national in 2016 at Panchkula Ekta Bhyan told MidDayShe also opened up about the challenges paraathletes face in IndiaThere are many challenges that paraathletes face in our country that are mainly because of infrastructure which is not disabled friendly Also the transportation is not wheelchairfriendly So it is difficult for a disabled person to start his parasports careerWhen asked if there are any different coaching methods followed to train a paraathlete There are not a huge number of coaches who can train paraathletes in our country But with the passage of time the picture is getting better Ekta Bhyan told middayMany ablebodied coaches who are giving coaching to ablebodied athletes are also open to training paraathletes Also the Sports Authority of India SAI and other states are recruiting paraathletes as coaches So this is something where awareness is playing a great role added BhyanMultitalented Ekta Bhyan will participate in the UTT Para Table Tennis National Ranking Championship which will kick start on November 26th at Abhay Prashal Sports Club in Indore Madhya PradeshAlso ReadIND vs AUS 1st Test Australia Mata ki Jay says an Australian fan after Sudhir hails India WATCHSpeaking about her preparations My preparations are going great for the UTT Para Table Tennis National Ranking event and Im very excited because it is my second national ranking event and Im looking forward to it to improve my rankingsEkta Bhyan also opened up about the challenges of playing three different sports and labelled paratable tennis as her favourite among the threeMy main event is club throw because it is specially designed for persons having disabilities in all the forelimbs As I have a quadriplegic disability I chose club throw as my main event said BhyanThere are challenges because its been 10 years that Im into paraathletics Table Tennis is a completely different sport than that of discus throw or club throw but with continuous practice and hard work you understand the skills and techniques for the new game as wellI find table tennis very interesting and Im doing well at the international level The only thing I find difficult is that the coaching for paratable tennis is not easily available in our country In paraathletics there are many coaches available but you wont find a coach who can understand the problems of playing table tennis while being in a wheelchair added BhyanThe athlete also opened up on her diet and routineThere is a very strict diet and routine that we have to follow especially because of disability we are prone to weight gain Being a wheelchair user you cant train every muscle so we have to follow strict diet and workout plansBeing an athlete who competes in three different sports Ekta spoke about her challengesThe main challenge that I face for club and discus throw is that I have a quadriplegic disability This is the category for athletes having poor forelimbs In this severe impairment I need the assistance of two people on and off the field even while travelling It is financially demanding Im fortunate that I have enough sponsorship from the Welspun Super Sports Women Program to pursue my sports careerIm very thankful to the Welspun Super Sports Women Program for providing all the support It is not only the financial help that Welspun is providing me but theyre also providing the right nutrition and accessibility for wheelchairs which is very expensive Im very thankful to Welspun Super Sports Women Program for supporting paraathletes because there are very few organizations supporting women with disabilitiesEkta Bhyan had clinched a gold medal for club throw in the 2018 Asian Para Games In the 2023 edition held in China the athlete managed to win a bronze medal in the same eventApart from this she claimed a bronze medal for club throw in the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris in 2023 Ekta Bhyan also has 10 gold and two bronze medals to her name for discus and club throw in the National Para Athletics Championships