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In praise of … Arunima Sinha In praise of … Arunima Sinha
(4 months later)
Climbing Mount Everest is one of the hardest things any human can do. But climbing it with an artificial leg? That's what Arunima Sinha did last month, becoming the first woman amputee to scale the mountain, in a climb of 52 days. Two years ago, the 26-year-old lost half her left leg when robbers pushed her out of a train near Lucknow, in northern India, after she refused to hand over a gold chain (local police dispute her crime report). The former national-level volleyball player describes it as her "darkest hour"; yet she began a year-long mountaineering course, trying to "outpace normal people". Everest done, she's now setting up a sports academy for poor disabled children. India is not a disabled-friendly country; even the big cities have hardly any wheelchair ramps, let alone easy-access train stations. "I turned my artificial leg into my strength," says Ms Sinha. In the process, she's provided an object lesson in what strength is.Climbing Mount Everest is one of the hardest things any human can do. But climbing it with an artificial leg? That's what Arunima Sinha did last month, becoming the first woman amputee to scale the mountain, in a climb of 52 days. Two years ago, the 26-year-old lost half her left leg when robbers pushed her out of a train near Lucknow, in northern India, after she refused to hand over a gold chain (local police dispute her crime report). The former national-level volleyball player describes it as her "darkest hour"; yet she began a year-long mountaineering course, trying to "outpace normal people". Everest done, she's now setting up a sports academy for poor disabled children. India is not a disabled-friendly country; even the big cities have hardly any wheelchair ramps, let alone easy-access train stations. "I turned my artificial leg into my strength," says Ms Sinha. In the process, she's provided an object lesson in what strength is.
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