By News Desk
The fact can’t be denied that Pakistan is filled with talented individuals in almost every discipline. When it comes to sports, the country has produced world-class athletes who made a name for themselves across the world. However, one athlete that has made a unique identity for herself is Insha Asfar. She is a Paralympic female.
Insha Afsar is one of the shining stars of the nation who, when northern Pakistan was stuck by a horrific earthquake in 2005, lost her left leg up to the hip but still, she managed to be the brave one leg world-class female skier and became a member of the National Sports Center for the Disabled team.
The world first got to know of Afsar after TIME photographer Yuri Kozyrev captured a photo of Afsar dressed in a redcoat while standing on crutches in the middle of gray rubble.
Shriners International, which is a non-profit based in the U.S. and provides medical services to children without insurance, offered to deliver Afsar with free medical aid and fit her for a special prosthesis; this happened after a three-page photo essay on Insha appeared in TIME magazine.
She went to the USA after six months after the earthquake for prosthesis where she got tremendous opportunities and sponsorship for her permanent residence, education, and sports activities. She has been an active participant in several NASTAR races, ICC races, and Nationals leading up to the Paralympics and also competed in the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea with the ultimate goal to compete in 2022 goals for team USA. She competed with more than 40 athletes in the U.S. Paralympic Alpine National Championship in 2015.