Canoeist couple inspires each other to achieve rare feat of winning Asian Para Games medals

Manish/Prachi win medals at Asian Para Games; Prachi 1st Indian para canoe gold medallist. Couple met while training in Bhopal, married 3 yrs ago. Prachi won gold in KL2, silver in VL2; Manish bronze in KL3. Prachi qualified for Paris Paralympics; Manish yet to qualify. Prachi shifted to para canoe on coach's advice; faced prob. of no boat, so coach built makeshift boat. Prachi now using modern boats from abroad.

Manish Kaurav was not sure of winning a medal at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games on Tuesday but he remembers his wife and Indian para canoe team-mate Prachi Yadav telling him "we will not go empty-handed".

The couple achieved a rare distinction of husband-wife winning medals in the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. Prachi won the gold medal in canoe KL2 event on Tuesday to add to her silver in the VL2 category on Monday.

Manish picked a bronze in men's canoe KL3 event on Tuesday.

"We met each other while training at the MP Water Sports Academy in Bhopal and married three years ago. It was the best thing to have happened to us," Prachi told PTI from Hangzhou.

"We support each other as we are always together in ups and downs of our sport career. We inspire each other," she added.

Prachi, a Tokyo Paralympian, had gone into Tuesday's competition full of confidence but Manish was a bit unsure of whether he will get a medal.

"Every athlete competes to win a medal but you never know," said Manish.