Paralympics 2024: After a life-changing accident, Padma Shri Sumit Antil’s seven-year journey in javelin throw led him to interrupt world data and declare gold on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. This is his story.
Within the city of Sonepat, Haryana, Sumit Antil grew up with a deep love for wrestling, pushed by the achievements of Haryana’s personal Yogeshwar Dutt, a bronze medalist on the 2012 London Olympics. Regardless of dropping his father on the tender age of seven, he held quick to his dream of sooner or later representing India on the worldwide stage.
Nonetheless, on 5 January, 2015, when Sumit was simply 17, his life took an surprising flip. A tractor ran over him as he was returning house on his bike, ensuing within the amputation of his left leg.
After enduring a gruelling 53-day restoration and receiving a prosthetic leg on the Synthetic Limb Centre in Pune, Sumit was dedicated to creating a comeback to sports activities.
In 2017, Sumit was launched to the world of para-athletics by Rajkumar, an area para-athlete. Quickly, Sumit’s formal coaching in para javelin started below coach Nitin Jaiswal. By 2018, he had transitioned to coaching below javelin coach Naval Singh at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, after being launched by silver medalist Virender Dhankar from the 2018 Asian Video games.
His journey to mastering the javelin was something however simple—his prosthetic leg would usually fill with blood, inflicting intense ache and discomfort. But, each morning at 3 am, he practised relentlessly with one purpose in thoughts: to shatter the world file.
His efforts paid off when, in 2019, he secured a silver medal on the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Italy, setting a world file of 60.45m within the F64 class. Later that 12 months, he broke his personal file with a 62.88m throw on the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, incomes one other silver.
Sumit’s crowning achievement got here on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, the place he claimed gold within the F64 class with a world-record throw of 68.55m. Later that 12 months, he improved his file to 68.62m on the Indian Open Nationwide Para Athletics Championships.Â
His record-breaking streak continued on the 2023 Para World Championships in Paris, the place he received gold with a monumental throw of 70.83m. That very same 12 months, he captured the gold medal within the males’s T-64 javelin throw on the Asian Para Video games 2023, changing into the world primary and setting a world file within the F64 class.Â
Most just lately, he triumphed once more, profitable a gold medal on the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan.
His spectacular profession has earned him the Main Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 and the Padma Shri Award in 2022.
“I wish to take pleasure in this second. For the primary time, such a big and powerful contingent from India goes to the Paralympics and I really feel proud to be the flag bearer,” the javelin champion just lately shared in an interview.
As Sumit heads into the Paris 2024 Paralympics, his story of resilience and record-breaking achievements continues to encourage and captivate individuals worldwide.
Edited by Khushi Arora; Picture courtesy: Sumit Antil (@antil_sumit7698)
Sources:
Who’s Sumit Antil? All you want to know concerning the Indian para-athlete competing int he Paris 2024 Paralympics: by SportsKeeda, Printed on 31 August, 2024.
Who’s Sumit Antil? All the pieces you want to learn about India’s para-javelin star eyeing Paris 2025: by Occasions Of India, Printed on 29 August, 2024.
