Para-canoeist Prachi Yadav created history by becoming the first Indian to clinch a bronze medal in 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).
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.
What is Paracanoe?
Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va’a-specific variant is governed by the International Va’a Federation (IVF).
A meeting of the International Paralympic Committee in Guangzhou, China in 2010 decided to add paracanoe to the Paralympic programme. As a result, paracanoe debuted at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics where single kayak races were contested. The two main types of paracanoe boat are kayaks (K), with a double-blade paddle, and outrigger canoes called va’as (V) where the paddler has a second hull as a support float and uses a single blade paddle with a T-top handle.