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Having already made the country proud at the Asian Para Games by clinching the best of the three medals available, Ekyta Bhyan, a resident of Hisar is set to represent the country at Tokyo 2020 in category F51 of the Club Throw event. She is already serving as an HCS (Allied) officer in Haryana and is also the top-ranked in her category in Asia and was selected after trials in Delhi in July.
Pledging to continue her rich good form and returning with a medal against her name, Ekta said that it was a dream for her to represent the country in the biggest sporting extravaganza. "Hard work has transformed this wish into reality. Now, I am focused on bringing a gold medal for the country," she said as quoted by The Tribune.
Education
Post completing her school education, Ekta had wanted to be a medical student and even joined coaching classes in Delhi. However, in a rather tragic accident in 2003, in which a truck overturned on their cab near Kundli on the Delhi-Haryana border where six other students were crushed to death, she sustained a quadriplegic spinal cord injury and has been wheelchair-bound since
However, she had not lost her hope and resumed her studies after months of hospitalisation. Such was her determination that she cleared the HCS examination after completing her graduation in 2013 and was even posted as an assistant employment officer in Hisar.
Late entry into sports
Her father Dr Baljeet Singh Bhyan, a horticulturist, played a key role in her life and supported her decision to turn to sports. Despite making a relatively late entry in the realm of sports, she has quickly climbed up the ladders after training under Amit Saroha, an Arjuna Awardee para-athlete in Sonepat in 2014.
Asian Champion
She later won the gold medal in the Asian Para Games held in Jakarta and received appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "You overcame trial and tribulations with grit and courage and made the Tricolour fly high on an international stage. Despite being introduced to the sport at what many may consider a later stage, you not only imbibed it in your life but also excelled in it," the PM had written to Ekta in a letter.
He also heaped praises on her in his monthly address to the nation on the radio titled "Mann ki Baat." Ekta is all set for the Tokyo Paralympic games and there is every reason to believe that she can bring a medal home when she comes out to the field of play.