Arunima Sinha is the first female amputee in the world to summit Mount Everest, reaching the top on May 21, 2013, after a 52-day climb. The path to that summit began two years earlier, with an attack that cost her a leg.
What happened to her in 2011?
In 2011, Sinha was thrown from a moving train by robbers after she resisted an attempt to steal her gold chain, according to ABILITY Magazine’s profile and her Wikipedia entry. Her left leg was run over in the incident and was subsequently amputated below the knee.
Who did she train with before Everest?
Sinha trained under Bachendri Pal — the first Indian woman to climb Everest — at the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, a detail confirmed across her ABILITY Magazine interview and the SCMP feature. Before the accident, she had been a national-level volleyball player, a background that fed directly into the physical preparation for high-altitude climbing.
What did the 2013 summit involve?
On May 21, 2013, after a 52-day climb, Sinha reached the summit of Everest, becoming the first female amputee to do so. SheThePeople’s profile and the SCMP interview both document the climb as part of her broader recovery story following the 2011 attack.
How was the achievement recognized?
In 2015, Sinha was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor, for her mountaineering accomplishment, according to Wikipedia and Zee News.
What did she climb after Everest?
Sinha went on to climb additional peaks as part of the Seven Summits challenge, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus, and Mt. Kosciuszko, per the same sources. Each climb extended a record that began on a train platform in 2011 and, within two years, reached the top of the world’s highest mountain.
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