New Delhi (NVI): A serving officer of the Indian Air Force to represent India at the World Rowing Asia/ Oceania Continental Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, scheduled to be held in May 2021 in Japan’s Tokyo.
Wing Commander Shantanu picked up the sport in April 2019 and was selected by The Rowing Federation of India for the October 2019 Asian Rowing Training Camp and Championship which was held in South Korea.
He finished 5th in Asia then and became the first Indian paraplegic to represent India at the event.
According to the defence ministry, having suffered severe damage to his spinal cord in a motorcycle accident in January 2017, Shantanu was on ventilator support for nearly two months.
“After having stabilized, he was shifted to the Spinal Cord Injury Ward (SCIC ward) at MH Kirkee, Pune. There, he undertook Aqua therapy and Hydro therapy. He picked up swimming as a competitive sport, winning two gold medals at the Maharashtra State Level Swimming Championship organized by Paralympic Swimming Association of Maharashtra in June 2018,” the ministry said.
–PRT
