TOKYO: Javelin thrower Sumit Antil clinched India’s second gold at the ongoing Paralympics, shattering the men’s F64 category world record multiple times in a stunning Games debut performance here on Monday. Earlier, shooter Avani Lekhara had claimed the women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event gold in the morning.
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, 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. In fact, he bettered the previous world record of 62.88m, also set by him, five times on the day. His last throw was a foul. His series read 66.95, 68.08, 65.27, 66.71, 68.55 and foul. 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. A student of Delhi’s Ramjas College, Antil was an ablebodied 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.
