Sumit Antil scripted history on Monday as he broke the world record thrice to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, launching his way to the top of the podium in the men’s javelin F64 finals in Tokyo. India had won four medals in the 2016 editions while the medal count stands at seven in the ongoing event. Sumit threw 68.55m to clinch the gold medal. In an absolutely stunning performance, he set new world records thrice in the final.
It was sheer domination by Sumit Antil as his first two throws were registered as consecutive world records. Sumit Antil’s first throw was 66.95m, while his second throw was 68.08m. Then, extraordinarily, Sumit on his fifth throw, bettered his own world record with a throw of 68.55m. The 23-year-old from Sonepat in Haryana, who lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2015. Apart from Sumit Antil, reigning world champion Sandeep Chaudhary just fell short of making it to the podium, putting up a stellar performance nonetheless and finishing fourth on the table. Out of 6 attempts, Sandeep’s best was his third throw which was registered as 62.20m. Sandeep’s first throw was 61.13m. Australian Michal Burian (66.29m) and Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku (65.61m) took the silver and bronze respectively. The F64 category is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prosthetics in a standing position. Prime Minister Narendra Modi send wishes to Sumit 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”.
