Today, on World Polio Day, the spotlight is on the achievements of an extraordinary sports champion. Parul Parmar, who was diagnosed with polio at a young age, had incurred a serious injury when she was three years old. Nevertheless, with grit and determination, she rose to the top of world para-badminton.
The 47-year-old overcame her disability to defy all odds and become a BWF Para-Badminton World Championships gold medallist in 2017.
“When I was three years old, I got to know that I was afflicted with polio in my right leg. A few months later I fell down from a swing at home and fractured my collar bone and right leg. Thereafter, my entire body was plastered,” Parul said while speaking during the seventh episode of ‘The Finish Line’, hosted by Saurav Ghosal.
“Once the plaster was removed, the doctor told me and my family that I should exercise as much as possible. My father used to play badminton at a gymkhana in Gandhinagar and therefore my mother decided that even I should go to the gymkhana along with my father so that I will get the belief that even I can play the sport and carry out regular exercise,” she added.
The Arjuna Awardee, who won both singles and doubles at the World Championships, also spoke about the only thing she always felt pressured by.
“I always felt the pressure whenever I have been sponsored by a company or anybody else. After going into a tournament after being sponsored by somebody, I always felt the pressure of delivering results for the sponsors,” said Parul Parmar.
“When I took part in tournaments through my own funds, then I didn’t get tensed about losing. I always wanted to give back something to the sponsors through my results,” she added.
IANS
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