From fighting robbers on her birthday to becoming India’s first female blade runner: meet Kiran Kanojia

In December 2011, Kiran Kanojia, an Infosys employee on her way home to Faridabad, boarded a train in Hyderabad. This day, far from marking her homecoming, opened up a grisly chapter in her life. She boarded a train, elated to meet her parents and celebrate her birthday. But this ride changed her life, reads a PIB report.

In the next few hours, Kiran lay in a hospital bed recollecting her encounter with two boys who, in an attempt to snatch her bag, pushed her out of the train. But that didn't stop her from moving on with her life. The survivor of a horrific accident, Kiran is now a champion blade runner, constantly pushing the limits with marathon after marathon.

After the accident, she relocated to Hyderabad for amputation. At Dakshin Rehabilitation Centre, she tried a prosthetic leg and gradually began to adopt a new way of life.

In 2014, Kiran attempted the Hyderabad Airtel Marathon and won her first medal. Today, at 28, Kiran is a champion blade runner and is invited to Delhi and Mumbai to run and flag off marathons. Her immediate goal is to participate in the Paralympic Games and make the country proud. Speaking to The Indian Express, she had said,

I needed a stronger challenge. The dream runs were fun, but I needed to prove something to myself.

When she was depressed, she found her inspiration in Oscar Pistorius' feats at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Hyderabad Runners, who met Kiran during her rehabilitation, trained her to build her stamina and strength.

I started off without being able to cover even 400 m. Then I was running five km, and then 10, she says.

Kiran has recently been felicitated at the NITI Aayog Women Transforming India Awards, along with 11 other strong women from different walks of life.

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