Picture : Paraathletics/Twitter
Breaking the world record five times on his way to gold in the Paralympics did not suffice for reluctant-wrestler-turned-javelin-thrower Sumit Antil and the Indian vowed to better what was already an incredible performance by every yardstick.
The 23-year-old clinched India’s second gold at the ongoing Paralympics in Tokyo on Monday, shattering the men’s F64 category world record multiple times in a stunning Games debut performance of 68.55m.
A performance that was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet
Our athletes continue to shine at the #Paralympics! The nation is proud of Sumit Antil’s record-breaking performance in the Paralympics.
Congratulations Sumit for winning the prestigious Gold medal. Wishing you all the best for the future.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2021
He was a wrestler prior to a motorcycle accident that resulted in his left leg being amputated, before life smiled on him and a new avenue opened up.
“I was not that great a wrestler. In my area of India, the family forces you to become a wrestler,” he quipped.
“I started when I was seven, eight years old, and I continued for four or five years, but not regularly. I was not that good,” Antil said.
“I met with an accident and had my leg amputated. After that, life changed. I went to the stadium just to meet people in 2015, and I saw para athletes. They said, ‘You have good height and posture, maybe you can be in the next Paralympics’. Who knew I would be the next champion?”
He did become a champion on Monday, and that too, at the sport’s grandest stage.
“This is my first Paralympics and I was a little nervous because the competitors are great. I was hoping for a 70-metre-plus throw, maybe I can do 75m. It was not my best, I am very happy to break the world record.”
This was not the first time he was making the javelin travel far.
A few months before the Tokyo Games, within a span of 20 days, Haryana’s Antil had broken the world record twice in the F-64 category.
In his sixth and last attempt he hurled the javelin to a distance of 66.90 metres at the 19th Para-Athletics Championships at Bengaluru in March.
