Shubham Wadhwa : From a Bedridden Life to the Table Tennis Table, a Dream to Win for India




In 2016, a bike accident changed Shubham Wadhwa’s life in ways he could not have imagined. A spinal cord injury left the Ludhiana-born athlete paralysed below the chest and confined to bed for nearly three years. A national-level table tennis player during his school days, Wadhwa had stepped away from the sport to pursue modelling. The accident brought that chapter to an abrupt end, forcing him to rebuild his life from scratch.




“For three years, I was bedridden. Friends kept reminding me of table tennis. When I finally returned to the table in 2019-20, it gave me a new life,” he told TOI.




With his family’s support, Wadhwa began finding his footing again. A scholarship opportunity at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in 2018 opened another door, allowing him to pursue Computer Science Engineering. It was also where he discovered a renewed purpose in table tennis, this time as a para-athlete competing in the men’s Class 3 category.




“After the accident, I had to start from zero. Table tennis gave me direction again,” he told TOI.




What followed was a journey of rebuilding, having to constantly push himself each day. Now a 10-time national gold medallist, Wadhwa has carried his game onto the international stage. In 2026, he won a gold and two bronze medals at the ITTF World Para Future in Gold Coast, followed by silver in mixed doubles and bronze in men’s singles at the ITTF World Para Elite in Taipei City.




Away from the table, he has also revisited wheelchair modelling, an interest he developed during his university years.




At the Asian Para Games 2026 in Japan, Wadhwa is making his debut, competing in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. “For me, spending three years bedridden, now the goal is to win a medal for India.”



From fighting her own battles to lifting India’s hopes: Jaspreet Kaur




For Jaspreet Kaur, 32, from Bathinda, the road to international para-powerlifting began with a warning that forced her to rethink her life. Having contracted polio at the age of three, she went on to complete an MTech and work as a software engineer.




But long hours at a desk saw her weight climb to nearly 80kg, putting increasing strain on her body. Determined to reclaim her health, she left her job, joined a gym and discovered a sport that would change her direction.




“I discovered para-sports while trying to lose weight,” she recalls. In 2021, learning about powerlifter Rajinder Singh Rahelu deepened her interest in the sport. What began as an effort to regain her health soon became a pursuit of excellence. After shedding nearly 40kg in 18 months, Jaspreet turned her focus to powerlifting, training in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in the 45kg category.




Her progress has since translated into medals and records. She won gold at the Khelo India Para Games 2025, setting a national record with a lift of 101kg, and claimed bronze at the Asia-Oceania Open Championships in Bangkok in 2026. She also won silver at the Brazil Open Para-Powerlifting Championship and represented India at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.




The journey, however, has not been measured only in kilograms lifted. Travelling alone, particularly by train, once meant dealing with physical difficulties, stares and social stigma.




“Earlier, travelling alone, especially by train, was physically tough. The stares and social stigma hurt, but sports has lifted my confidence, it has built my confidence” she told TOI.




Her decision to leave UPSC preparation initially worried her parents, but their concern has since turned to pride. “ It’s a journey I have consciously chosen every day,” she told TOI.




Now for her second Asian Para Games outing, Jaspreet says her preparation has been good. She is eyeing a medal, hoping to deliver her personal best and make India proud.



Once stopped from pursuing sports to making her mark: Seema Rani




For 40-year-old Seema Rani, the road to para-powerlifting began with a life that had already demanded more of her than most. A fever when she was three, followed by an injection that affected both her legs, left her with a 79 percent disability and dependent on a wheelchair.




Growing up in Haripur Khalsa, she had spent most of her life within the familiar boundaries of home, in a joint family where stepping out on her own was not something she had known. Her father a labourer and mother a housewife.




When Seema first expressed an interest in sport, her family was reluctant to let her pursue it. “For someone who had rarely left home, the prospect of training and competing meant challenging not just physical limitations, but years of hesitation and uncertainty,” she told TOI.




When Parmjeet Kumar , a para-powerlifter from her village, was welcomed back with the entire village celebrating his historic medal at the World Championship, that is what ignited a spark in her. In 2019 she began practising but it was only in 2022 when she was selected to train at the SAI centre in Gandhinagar, under the guidance of coach Rajinder Singh Rahelu, that she began her formal career.




In 2025, Women’s elite 61 kg category, Seema had made a national record in Khelo India Para Games, lifting 97kgs.




Now, Seema is looking ahead, determined to improve with every competition. Her ambition is to keep pushing her limits and work towards the biggest stage in sport. She told TOI, “ I believe in my preparation and all I want to do is perform better than ever.”



Parmjeet Kumar: From a Village Gym to the World Stage, Chasing a Paralympic Dream




For Parmjeet Kumar, 34, the journey to international para-powerlifting began with curiosity. Growing up in Haripur Khalsa in Punjab , he had little access to sporting facilities. But in 2004, a gym set up in a local haveli caught his attention. He would watch with interest, unaware that the weights inside would one day become his livelihood and his identity.




Born with a disability after an injection administered during a fever when he was two, Parmjeet has both legs affected. His introduction to powerlifting was far from easy. The first time he tried lifting a 20kg bar, he struggled to raise it, with balance posing another challenge. Today, he has lifted 177kg at the Asia-Oceanic Championship in Bangkok, where he won silver in April.




His journey has been shaped by years of discipline and the guidance of coach Rajinder Singh Rahelu, under whom he trained for nearly a decade. From Gandhinagar to Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Parmjeet has spent years building his strength.




“Inspiration is for a short time. Discipline is what is most needed. Motivation does not last long, but routine does,” he told TOI, is the philosophy he lives by.




In 2021 Parmjeet made history after lifting 158 kgs securing bronze, becoming the first Indian to clinch a medal in the World Para Powerlifting Championships. After finishing fourth at the 2023 Asian Para Games, Parmjeet has continued to push forward. He competed at the Paris Paralympics in 2024 but suffered a hand injury. He recently represented India at the CWG 2026.




Parmjeet is determined to give his best. His goal is simple, “improve on my previous performance and change the colour of his medal”, he told TOI.



Mohd Yasser : 3rd Asian games outing, Chasing Olympic Dream




For Mohd Yasser, 32, the journey from the fields of Malerkotla to the international athletics arena has been shaped by family support and the determination to keep going, even when setbacks derailed his ambitions.




Yasser, who hails from Malerkotla in Punjab, suffered an impairment in his left hand at the age of eight. Growing up in a farming family, he had the unwavering support of his parents, who stood by him as he found his footing in sport.




Athletics entered his life during his college days, when he participated in a meet in Malerkotla. It was there that coach Harminderpal Singh Ghuman spotted him, opening the door to a career he had not initially envisioned.




The shot-putter gradually made his mark on the international stage. At the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Yasser won bronze in the F46 category, establishing himself as a competitor to watch. He added another milestone at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai in 2021, winning gold with a throw of 14.58m.




But the journey has not been without its disappointments. At the 2023 Asian Para Games, an injury prevented him from delivering the performance he had hoped for. He went on to represent India at the Paris Paralympics, gaining further experience on the sport’s biggest stage.




Now preparing for his third Asian Para Games outing, Yasser is focused on making the opportunity count. With his parents continuing to support him, he hopes to deliver his best performance and take another step towards his Olympic dream.