As the Indian sports enthusiasts were busy celebrating badminton star P.V. Sindhu becoming the first Indian shuttler to win the BWF World Championship, Joshi’s similar feat at the para-athletic tournament didn’t immediately catch the media spotlight.
On 25 August, Joshi, defeated three-time para-badminton champion Parul Parmar by 21-12 and 21-7 to win her maiden SL3 world championship title.
The SL3 tournament is for players who are impaired in one or both lower limbs and have poor walking or running balance.
The news of Joshi winning the coveted title, however, didn’t take too long to draw the attention of social media, and the Twitterati hailed the para-athlete’s accomplishment.
Joshi, who plays the sport with a prosthetic leg, was applauded by politicians, celebrities and netizens alike for overcoming her difficulties and winning the world title.
According to a private website, in 2011, Joshi lost her left leg in a freak accident when she was hit by a truck while crossing a road junction.
In spite of sustaining multiple injuries on her arms and legs, she was only able to reach the operation theatre 10 hours after the accident. Being infected with gangrene due to the delay in treatment, she ended up with an amputated left leg.
However, in 2012, she re-learned to walk using her prosthetic limb. After regaining her confidence to move around using the artificial leg, she resumed playing badminton and other sports.
Joshi turned into a professional badminton player after participating in the 2014 Para Asian Games and has won several medals at international badminton tournaments since then.