Haren
This summer, India were kept captivated through the three-week-long festival of sport in Paris, keenly following the exploits of their superstar athlete Neeraj Chopra, who became the country’s greatest-ever individual Olympian by backing up his Tokyo gold with freshly-minted silver.
As the fervour has died down, the upcoming Paralympics in Paris, starting on August 28, are unlikely to raise hopes and expectations to the same tizzy degree, but Neeraj’s paralympian counterpart, equally successful and a defending champion in his own right, will hope to get Indians captivated again.
“The way Neeraj bhai has improved the javelin standards in India is amazing, he deserves all the credit for that. I have not thought about having the same kind of impact as he has had on this sport – the focus is only on doing my best – but of course, it would be great to inspire people the way he does,” Sumit Antil, Tokyo Paralympics champion in the men’s javelin throw F64 category, said on the sidelines of the send off ceremony for the Indian contingent held in New Delhi on Friday. “If you can be consistent and disciplined, and continue to perform at these big events, you can become a para legend. And that will have an impact.”
Neeraj Chopra with the gold medal. (FILE)
Antil, who uses a prosthetic leg after losing it in a motorbike accident as a teenager, has been on the up since becoming champion in Tokyo. He was on the top step of the podium at the Asian Games last year, and won golds at back-to-back World Championships too. He will be competing in Paris for the first time since he breached the world record with a 73.29m throw at the worlds there in 2023.
Anticipation around Antil’s event is not quite as high as sports fans usually have from Neeraj though, not only an effect of the oft-ignored paralympics category, but also stemming from how the Paralympics are held as an afterthought to the grand quadrennial showpiece only a few weeks later.
India has traditionally seen more success at the para events though. The contingent won an impressive haul of 19 medals at the edition in Tokyo three years ago, including five golds. Improvements may be expected on that haul from the 84 athletes that will be competing across 12 disciplines in Paris. “We are aiming for 25 medals. Hopefully we will get there,” Antil says.
Among them is rifle shooter Avani Lekhara, who won gold in the women’s R2 10 metre air rifle standing SH1 category in Tokyo. The Jaipur-based shooter, who became paraplegic after a car accident in her childhood, shed light on how her performance in Tokyo has changed her life in more ways than one.
“Shooting has given me a lot. Not like fame and money, but confidence. I can go out and represent myself and my community rather than hiding behind my disability. This is something I’m proud of,” she said. “When I step out on a wheelchair, as someone who has won medals, I feel like I can do anything.”
Discus thrower Yogesh Pathuniya, silver medallist at Tokyo and then again at back-to-back World Championships in 2023 and 2024, also feels that performances have improved and confidence has been found after the success three years ago. “After Tokyo, I threw big, a world record, in 2022 as well and have consistently improved. Even after struggling with injury in the middle, I have had the right support and now with my rehab done I think I am at my peak,” he said.
No weight of expectations
Other athletes to keep an eye on include record-breaking table tennis player, Bhavina Patel, and pistol shooter Manish Narwal.
Bhavina Hasmukhbhai Patel in action. (FILE)
Much like Neeraj, however, Antil, India’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony, remains the most keenly followed. After improvements in his performance since Tokyo, he is one of the athletes who is an out and out favourite. And he is not bogged down by the weight of expectations.
Taking inspiration from the world-leading exploits of his fellow-Haryana javelin thrower, focussing on his own peak performance is more of a target than worrying about winning a medal or the colour of it.
“I am not feeling pressure of defending gold right now. Maybe, when we go to Paris, it will hit, but right now all is calm,” he said. “The last three years have been good for me, I have been improving, throwing world records, so I’m hoping to hit peak performance in Paris.”
“The target right now is simply to beat my last record and hit the 75m mark. My category has some strong competition, some good Australian throwers and others from Sri Lanka as well,” the 26-year-old from Sonipat, who still trains in his hometown at the SAI Centre, added. “It all matters on the day, maybe 75m could also be out of reach as well, but that may not mean I can’t defend gold. The aim is to attempt to produce my best on that day that it matters most. That is not always easy.”
