Indore’s First Wheelchair Warrior: Lovenesh Aims For Paralympic Glory

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): What does it mean to fight when the world tells you to stay down? For Lovenesh Khanna, the answer is simple: rise. And rise he did—against every barrier, every loss, and every limitation.

Now, at the age of 28, Lovenesh is Indore's first wheelchair fencer, and he’s preparing to step onto the mat for the Indore District Fencing Championship. But this story is not about a man in a wheelchair—it’s about a warrior who refuses to stay seated.

Lovenesh’s story begins not in a gym or a dojo, but at home, where his parents planted the seeds of strength and determination.

His father, Nitin Khanna, and his late mother, Nirmala, enrolled him in martial arts classes as a child, believing in the power of discipline and physical activity. “They wanted me to stay active, to push my limits,” Lovenesh recalled. But there was a deeper purpose behind their encouragement—a purpose that would unfold only later in his life.

When tragedy struck, Lovenesh faced a darkness many would never recover from. His mother, the centre of his world, passed away recently after suffering from liver failure.

"That was the hardest moment of my life," Lovenesh said, "She was my strength. Losing her felt like losing everything." But grief, as crushing as it was, never broke him. He found strength in the most unlikely place: his father, who stood by him like a rock. “My father pushed me when I had no energy to push myself. He was my anchor.”

He channelled his grief into martial arts—first karate, then Arnis—and it was during these training sessions that he saw fencing. The moment was a spark and it ignited a new fire. "I saw others fencing, and I was hooked. The speed, the precision—it felt like something I could master," he says.

Under the relentless guidance of coach Sayeed Alam, Lovenesh dove headfirst into fencing, learning the techniques and strategies that would transform him into the fencer he is today. 

"District selection is just the beginning. I want to represent my country one day, to bring home a medal from the Paralympics.”

"As a parent, that’s all you can hope for—your child’s courage, their ability to keep going no matter the odds,” Khanna said.

And Indore, too, has taken notice. Local sports personalities like Vikas Sharma, Manish Arya, and Vishal Saini have all sent their congratulations, praising Lovenesh’s drive and tenacity. 

[Story by Tina Khatri]