Pooja Ojha
Pooja Ojha (born 1990) is an Indian para athlete from Madhya Pradesh who competes in canoeing.[1] She qualified for the 2024 Summer Paralympics in the canoeing women's KL1 event. India earned quota places for the following events through the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, Germany; and 2024 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. Earlier, she represented India at the 2022 Asian Para Games at Hangzhou, China.[2]
Early life
[edit]Ojha is from Bhind, Madhya Pradesh.[3] She was born with polio and is 80 per cent paralyzed from waist down. Her father, a daily wage worker, supported and encouraged her. Initially, she had a fear of water but slowly overcame it. Now her father works as an assistant after India Post gave him a job.[4]
Career
[edit]Ojha won India's first ever medal at Canoe Sprint World Championships at Halifax, Canada in August 2022.[3] In May 2024, she won a silver medal at the Para Canoe World Championships at Hungary in VL1 200m category.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Matter Of Concern: World-Class Infra But Only 6 Athletes For Paris Olympics!". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ Sportstar, Team (2023-10-21). "India at Asian Para Games 2023: Complete list of Indian athletes". Sportstar. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ a b Desk, The Bridge (2022-08-04). "Pooja Ojha wins India's first ever medal at Canoe Sprint World Championships". thebridge.in. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ a b "Pooja Ojha turns back the tide, wins world silver at 38". The Times of India. 2024-05-12. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-13.