Syed Rizwan Geelani
Baramulla, Sep 6: A 23-year-old girl, Ishrat Akhtar, from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, is all set to represent India in the upcoming Wheelchair Handball World Championship in Cairo, Egypt.
The 3rd Four-a-Side World Handball Championship will be held from September 16 to September 21.
Ishrat, along with other nine players has been selected for the world championship by the Handball Association of India which is affiliated with the International Handball Federation, Asian Handball Federation and Commonwealth Handball Association.
Hailing from Bangdara in the outskirts of Baramulla town, Ishrat is one of the top 10 players selected to represent India on the international stage.
This selection marks a significant achievement for the young athlete, who has already made a name for herself through her dedication to the sport despite the challenges she faces.
Talking to Greater Kashmir from Jaipur, where she is currently training for the world championship, Ishrat expressed her excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to represent her country.
“It is a great achievement for me to be able to showcase my skills at the international level and represent my country at this big stage,” Ishrat told Greater Kashmir.
Ishrat extended her gratitude to her basketball coach who informed her about the championship and motivated her to participate in the selection trials.
“My coach in basketball Louis George Meprath informed me about the handball championship and after that I completed the mandatory formalities including a medical checkup and prepared myself to participate in the selection trials,” she said.
She said a total of 18 players participated in the trials, and Ishrat was among the 10 selected to compete in the world championship.
“This is for the first time that I will be competing at an international level in Handball. I am thrilled to represent my country in this event. I am really thankful to my coaches who are rigorously training us for the championship,” she said.
The 3rd Indian Handball Federation Four-a-side Wheelchair Handball World Championship is expected to bring together some of the best wheelchair athletes, including Ishrat Akhtar from north Kashmir’s Baramulla, who will showcase their talent at the global stage.
As already reported by this newspaper, Ishrat Akhtar in August 2016 faced an unusual and unexpected incident in her life as she fell from the balcony, leaving her handicapped for the rest of her life. At that time Ishrat was only 17 years old.
But despite facing the odds, Ishrat has inspired many people as she continued to excel in sports.
In 2018 Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WCBFI) conducted a camp in Srinagar to select some players for the basketball championship at the National level.
In 2019 she was selected for the international basketball championship by the Basketball Federation of India and she represented India in Thailand.
Besides playing basketball at the international level, Ishrat participated in the State Level Wheelchair race in 2020 and clinched first position as well. (Greater Kashmir)
