Sumit Antil, a javelin thrower, has won a gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. With a throw of 68.55m, he smashed the world record in the men’s Javelin F64 category.
Sandeep Chaudhary, meanwhile, finished fourth with a best throw of 62.20m.
A throw of 68.55m set a new record
Sumit took a commanding lead in the final with a throw of 66.95m on his first attempt. On his second try, he threw even farther, recording 68.08m. His third try was the shortest (65.27m).
Surprisingly, Sumit broke his own record on his fifth attempt (68.55 m).
Michal Burian of Australia took silver, with Dulan Kodithuwakku of Sri Lanka finishing third.
Sumit’s accomplishments are listed below
Sumit is the sixth Indian athlete to win a Paralympic gold medal, following swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 and 2016), high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan (2016), and shooter Avani Lekhara (2020).
Sumit smashed his previous world record (62.88m) three times during the final.
He outperformed his initial try of 66.95m twice (68.08m and 68.55m).
Sumit was involved in a car accident in 2005 that resulted in the loss of his left leg
Sumit’s left leg was amputated as a consequence of a tragic accident in 2005.
He wrestled in able-bodied wrestling until 2015 when he took a three-year hiatus. In 2018, he began competing in para-athletics.
Sumit was subsequently introduced to Naval Singh, a well-known javelin instructor. He encouraged Sumit to pursue a career as a javelin thrower.
He won a silver medal for India in the World Para Athletics Championships in 2019.
In March, Sumit contested against Neeraj Chopra
Sumit participated in the able-bodied Indian Grand Prix series 3 on March 5 in Patiala against Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra. The former placed eighth with a best throw of 66.43m, while Chopra broke his own national record with a throw of 88.07m.
India won seven medals at the Paralympics in Tokyo
Sumit’s medal haul in the Tokyo Paralympics now stands at seven.
This is India’s greatest result in a single Paralympics.
Earlier in the day, Avani Lekhara made history by being the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal.
Devendra Jhajharia and Sundar Singh Gujar won silver and bronze medals in the men’s javelin throw – F46 final, respectively.