Manish Pandey Lost His Leg In A Train Accident, Now He's A Paralympic Champion

On April 2, 2011, the whole of India was watching the World Cup final as we won the title after 28 years. But for Manish Pandey, it was the day his life changed. It was the day he lost his leg in a train accident.

He was 19 then and was trying to get home in a hurry to watch the game.

¡°It was the only thought on my mind. I hopped on the train at Raipur station after appearing for my last written examination that day. The train is usually overcrowded, but that day, everyone seemed to be in a bit more hurry ¨C most of them were excited for the match like I was,¡± he said while speaking to The Better India.

¡°I was pushed from behind and fell off the moving train. My right leg was crushed under the train, causing a severe injury,¡± he added.

The leg could not be saved as Hirmi village in Chhattisgarh was not equipped for such extensive surgery.

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He lost his leg from the knee below and went into depression after that.

¡°The incident did not kill my excitement. The first question I asked the doctor after attaining consciousness the next day was whether India won the match. He said yes, which made me feel disappointed that I had missed out on witnessing the thrilling win. However, as the doctor informed me about the leg, I became quiet,¡± he went on to say.

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But Manish did not give up.

The man fought back and became a Paralympic champion and won medals at the Asian Games.

After being fitted with an artificial limb, he slowly adjusted and then the rest is history.

From 2013 he got interested in para-athletics and a couple of years later he pursued a one-year sports management programme in South Korea followed by a two-week sports management seminar in Kagoshima, Japan.

A fighter to the core, he is still going strong.