Raising The Bar : Sumit Antil Defends Title ; Wins Gold In Javelin Throw F64 Category ; India’s Medal Tally Now At 14 At Paralympics 2024 Paris

Picture : SAI / X

Star javelin thrower Sumit Antil became the first Indian man and second from the country to defend his title after winning the Javelin Throw F64 category gold with a Paralympics record of 70.59 metres in Paris .

According to PTI, The 26-year-old World record holder from Sonipat in Haryana bettered his own Paralympics best of 68.55m, set in Tokyo while winning the gold medal three years ago.

Antil’s World record is 73.29 metres.

The reigning World champion is the second Indian overall, after shooter Avani Lekhara, to defend a Paralympics crown.

Avani won gold in women’s 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 event in Paris. She won the yellow metal in the same event at the Tokyo Games.

Antil also joined an exclusive three-member club of Indians who have won two Paralympics gold. Besides Antil and Avani, the third member of the group is current Paralympics Committee of India President Devendra Jhajharia, who won the javelin throw F46 gold in the 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Games.

Antil also won gold in the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023 and 2024, besides standing on top of podium in last year’s Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

The wrestler-turned-javelin thrower clinched India’s third gold of the Paris Paralympics and first in para-athletics. It was India’s fifth medal from para-athletics at the ongoing Games.

Antil destroyed the field with his second round throw of 70.59m. He had two other big throws, of 69.11m in his opening attempt and 69.04m in his fifth, both bettering his earlier Paralympics record.

A performance that was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in tweet on X

He, however, could not breach the 75m mark, the target he had set before going to the Paris Games.

Dulan Kodithuwakku of Sri Lanka took the silver with 67.03m while Michal Burian of Australia won the bronze with a throw of 64.89m.

Meanwhile, Nithya Sre Sivan won the bronze medal in the SH6 women’s singles badminton event. Earlier, para badminton star Nitesh Kumar brought home India’s second gold medal, winning the Men’s Singles SL3 para badminton final. He was not the only badminton medalist, as Suhas Yathiraj (SL4) and Thulasimathi Murugesan (SU5) bagged silver, while Manisha Ramadass (SU5) clinched bronze. Armless archery wonder Sheetal Devi, alongside veteran Rakesh Kumar, brought home bronze in para archery Mixed Team Compound Event. Yogesh Kathuniya had brought India the first medal of Day 5 in Paris Paralympics, clinching a silver in the Men’s Discus Throw F56 Final.