Matchless Skier Insha Asfar to represent Pakistan in Paralympics 2019
Pakistan's talented Skier Insha Asfar is going to represent Pakistan in the upcoming Paralympics 2019 in South Korea.
According to history, nations who don’t have heroes fail to rise and those that stop producing them vanquish or fade away. Every nation, culture, has heroes because they are the ones who have the ability to act wisely in the times of adversity, who serve as a beacon for future generations, who can lead and set examples. Luckily, Pakistan has been blessed with such assets since 1947. Meet Insha Afsar, the girl to represent Pakistan in the 2019 Paralympics.
In 2005, when the northern areas of Pakistan were struck with an earthquake, Insha lost her left leg up to the hip. She came to the USA after six months of the earthquake for her prosthesis. Her friends suggested she join them in skiing, and she accepted this challenge! Today, Insha is one of the best skiers in Pakistan and is going to represent her country in the upcoming Paralympics 2019 in South Korea.
"No matter who you are, where you are, you can achieve anything in your life if you are passionate and determined" Insha once said.
Insha can now ski at a whopping 60 miles per hour on a single leg. It’s speed that sometimes even people on two legs can struggle to catch on to.Since then she has competed in several NASTAR races, participated in 2018 Paralympics and has also participated in Hartford Ski Spectacular in 2013 and the U.S Paralympic Alpine National Championships in 2015. Insha Afsar competed with more than 40 athletes in US Paralympic Alpine National Championship in 2015.
For Insha’s family, however, it was not easy to digest the fact that their daughter was going to become a sportswoman. She expressed her views about it:
“I come from a place where it’s not common for a woman to be an athlete. Coming to the US and then pursuing a sport that I love, that might inspire people to come forward and do what they want to do, despite what’s holding them back” Insha said.
Insha Afsar is not just an inspiration for the disabled girls, this 18-year-old is also a role model for others who are looking for some kind of motivation. She hopes that her passion for the sport may encourage others, and she is waiting to see the day Pakistan has many female representatives in different sports.
“I am a person that likes going fast, doing everything fast, I just like speed” Insha further added.
