Dharambir secures gold, Pranav Soorma bags silver as India finish one-two in club throw at Paris Paralympics

Dharambir and Pranav Soorma pushed India's remarkable run at the Paris Paralympics  forward by securing a double podium finish in the men's club throw F51 event. Dharambir secured the gold medal with an effort of 34.92m, also the new Asian record, while Pranav recorded 34.59m as his best effort, which gave him a silver. Amit Kumar, the third Indian participating in the event, finished tenth with his best attempt being 23.96m. Meanwhile, Serbia's Zeljko Dimitrijevic clinched the bronze medal with an attempt of 34.18m.

Dharambir, a former world championships bronze medallist, didn't have the best of start, with his first four throws being foul attempts. The 35-year-old produced his best in the fifth attempt as he hurled the club 34.92m, which ensured him the top spot on the podium.

Soorma, on the other hand, recorded 34.59m in his first attempt as India completed a one-two. Soorma had injured his spinal chord at 16 when a cement sheet fell on his head.

The F51 club throw event is for athletes who have movement affected to a high degree in the trunk, legs and hands. All the competitors compete while seated and rely on their shoulders and arm to generate power.

In a spectacular display of strength and skill, Dharambir has earned Bharats first-ever Gold Medal in the Mens Club Throw F51 at #Paralympics2024! This historic win marks Bharats first Gold medal in the Paralympics in the event.His achievement is a testament to perseverance pic.twitter.com/y5iepS67fA

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Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 4, 2024

Meanwhile, this was India's second gold of the day. Harvinder Singh earlier in the day had become the first Indian archer to claim a gold medal at the Paralympics.

The two medals in this event took India's overall tally to 24, which is five more than the previous edition held in Tokyo three years ago.