Javelin thrower Sumit Antil clinched India's second gold in Tokyo Paralympics 2020 Games. Antil won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw F64 event with a world record effort of 68.55. Antil took India's medal count to 7.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the para-athlete saying, " 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.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
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also congratulated the medalist for this win.
One more Gold for India!!Player Sumit Antil wins gold in Men's Javelin Throw with World Record throw of 68.55m. Many congratulations to Sumit for the great success. Your stupendous performance will inspire generations. #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics #Cheer4India #Praise4Para pic.twitter.com/vB0Wx1P7g2
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) August 30, 2021Related stories
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, dominated the show from the word go as he improved the World Record three times in the final.He sent the spear to 68.55m in his fifth attempt, which was the best of the day by quite a distance and a new world record.
#WATCH | Family members & friends of para javelin thrower Sumit Antil celebrate by dancing in Haryana's Sonipat
Sumit Antil won a Gold medal in Men's Javelin Throw with a World Record throw of 68.55m at Tokyo Paralympics pic.twitter.com/9OpcUjEx13
— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2021
The F64 category is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prosthetics in a standing position. A student of Delhi's Ramjas College, Antil was an able-bodied wrestler before his accident which led to the amputation of his leg below the knee. A para-athlete in his village initiated him to the sport in 2018.
He also competed against Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in the able-bodied Indian Grand Prix series 3 on March 5 in Patiala. He finished seventh with a best throw of 66.43m while Chopra shattered his own national record with a big effort of 88.07m. He won a silver in the F64 javelin throw at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai.
Shooter Avani Lekhara had claimed the women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event gold in the morning. Up until now, India has won 6 medals, with Vinod Kumar, unfortunately, losing his bronze medal.
(With inputs from PTI)
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