Madhya Pradesh’s Prachi bags bronze at Paracanoe World Cup

BHOPAL: Para canoeist Prachi Yadav created history on May 28 by becoming the first Indian to clinch a bronze medal in the women's VL2 200m event at the Paracanoe World Cup at Poznan, Poland.
Prachi bagged the bronze with a timing of 1:04.71 seconds behind silver medallist Brianna Hennessy of Canada (1:01.58s) and gold medallist Susan Seipel of Australia (1:01.54s).It is India's best-ever performance in the event which ended on Sunday.
Besides, Manish Kaurav (KL3 men 200m) and Manjeet Singh (VL2 men 200m) made it to the finals of their respective events for the first time in the history of the tournament. Jaideep qualified for the semifinals of VL3 men's 200m event but could not progress further.
MP para-rower who trained on ‘jugaad’ boat wins bronze
It was Prachi’s coach Mayank Thakur, who built a jugaad boat for her four years ago. “When I started training in 2018, there was hardly any awareness on para players in kayaking and canoeing. There was no boat for para players. The biggest challenge for me then was how to practice,” Prachi, 27, who is from Bhopal, told TOI. “My coach, Mayank sir, promised to build a prototype sort of boat for me. I wasn’t sure but when I used the boat, Iwas elated to see how efficient it was,” said Prachi, who is wheelchair-bound.
The jugaad boat that Prachi (inset) had to use for practice
Thakur said he used an oil drum to balance the boat. “I fixed the drum with a pair of bamboo poles on one side of the boat. “It was not possible to arrange a proper modern boat so this ‘jugaad’ was the only option for Prachi,” said Thakur.
She trained on this boat for three years before being admitted to the MP Water Sports Academy run by the sports department.
“An original para canoe costs Rs 5 lakh. However, we have made the new boat for just Rs 25,000. Prachi got modern and expensive boats after joining the academy, which played a key role in shaping her career. For this I must give credit to sports minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia for developing such an academy,” said Thakur. Scindia congratulated Prachi and said: “We got her admitted to the MP Watersports Academy so that she would get the best facilities.”
At the Poland meet, Manish Kaurav (KL3 men 200m) and Manjeet Singh (VL2 men 200m) made it to the finals of their events for the first time for India. Jaideep qualified for the semifinals of VL3 men's 200m event but could not progress further.