First Indian To Qualify For Paralympics Canoeing, Prachi Yadav Reaches Semifinals

Even before she arrived at Tokyo, para-athlete Prachi Yadav had scripted history by becoming the first Indian to participate in canoeing at Paralympics. On Thursday morning, Yadav made it to the semi finals of the event, securing fourth spot.

The 26-year-old is participating in women's Va'a single 200m event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. She finished the race in one minute and 11:098 seconds. Va'a is a type of canoe designed for flat and shallow plans of water. Great Britain's Emma Wiggs finished the class VL2 heat 1 in a time of 58.084 seconds. The semifinal event will be held on September 3, Friday.

Who is Prachi Yadav?

Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Prachi Yadav is India's only entry at the Tokyo Paralympics canoeing event. Yadav is paralysed from waist below. Initially a para-swimmer who has competed on national level, Yadav took to canoeing based on her coach's suggestion as he felt that she had a better chance of representing India at the Paralympics with that sport.

Prior to leaving for Tokyo Yadav said that she had done her homework and now it was time to appear in the exam, in order to prove that she had done "honest practice" at home.

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