Ishrat Akhter will represent India at the Egypt Wheelchair Handball World Championship from September 16

X: @JournalistAadil

Srinagar: Ishrat Akhter will compete for India in the Wheelchair Handball World Championship (WHWC) to be held in Egypt. Ishrat Akhter, a 23-year-old female from the Baramulla area of north Kashmir, will compete for India in the forthcoming Wheelchair Handball World Championship in the Egyptian capital Cairo from September 16–21. It will be the third Four-a-Side World Handball Championship that will takes place in Cairo.

The Handball Association of India (HAI), which is affiliated to the International Handball Federation (IHF), Asian Handball Federation (AHF), and Commonwealth Handball Association (CHA), has chosen Ishrat and nine other players for the global championship. Ishrat Akther from Bangdara village in Baramulla district has qualified to represent the Indian Wheelchair Handball team.

She is among the top 10 players chosen to play for India internationally. The team will play the World Wheelchair Handball Championship at Cairo from September 16 to September 21. The team consists of two women and eight men players. The Head Coach is Anand Mane who is going all out to forge a good team, so that the team returns with a World Championship medal.

The young athlete has already made a name for himself, so this selection is a significant achievement. putting herself apart with her dedication to the sport despite the challenges she faces. The initiatives taken and support given by Handball Association India and various sponsors to the Wheelchair Handball players is indeed praiseworthy.

Ishrat, who is now preparing for the global championship in Jaipur. She expressed her excitement and appreciation for the chance to represent her nation. “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. Ishrat expressed her appreciation to her basketball coach, who encouraged her to take part in the selection trials by telling her about the title. “I was told by my basketball coach, Louis George Meprath.

Before heading to Jaipur for the world championship. She conveyed her gratitude and delight at the opportunity to serve 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 the media. Ishrat thanked her basketball coach, who had told her about the title and urged her to participate in the selection trials. “Louis George Meprath, my basketball coach, told me.”

Ishrat expresses her profound gratitude to the Handball Association India office bearers who have gone out of their way and have left no stone unturned to get this team for practice to Jaipur and for all the wonderful arrangements for boarding and lodging at Jaipur.

It may be recalled that Ishrat Akhter in August 2016 faced an unusual and unexpected incident in her life as she fell from the balcony, leaving her handi- capped 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 champion- ship by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) 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.