Now Reading: Para table tennis champ Kunal Arora halves training due to leg length gap
-
01
Para table tennis champ Kunal Arora halves training due to leg length gap
Kunal Arora, a 29-year-old international para table tennis player from Moradabad, has been forced to cut his training from seven to eight hours daily to just two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours due to…
Kunal Arora, a 29-year-old international para table tennis player from Moradabad, has been forced to cut his training from seven to eight hours daily to just two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours due to a three-inch difference in his leg lengths, persistent back pain and other physical problems. Despite this, he is set to leave for Finland on August 26 with the Indian team.
Arora, who has thalassemia major and has won 27 national and 10 international medals, recently clinched gold at the 1st UTT Para National Ranking Table Tennis Championship 2026-27 in Indore. Doctors have advised him to get a prosthetic extension costing Rs 2,66,910 including GST, which his family cannot afford. His left leg is around three to four inches shorter than the right after two major leg surgeries in 2010.
Arora hopes for sponsorship support to get the prosthesis, which he says would improve his alignment, mobility and training. He plans to give his measurements for the device in the first or second week of September. The Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group will felicitate him on Sunday in New Delhi.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Thalassemia major, a severe blood disorder requiring lifelong transfusions, often leads to bone deformities and growth abnormalities, especially in children who undergo repeated transfusions. The iron overload from such treatment can damage joints and bones, as seen in Arora's leg surgeries. At Rs 2.7 lakh, the prosthetic extension is out of reach for a small business family, and government disability schemes rarely cover custom sports prosthetics. The next milestone is September's measurement appointment: if funded by then, the device could be ready in a month, potentially restoring his training volume before the Paralympic qualification cycle begins.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
