Carrying a back injury for more than a year, history-making Indian javelin thrower Sumit Antil’s path to Paralympic glory was paved with a ‘sweet sacrifice’ and several sleepless nights. The 26-year-old faced a tough choice in the build-up to the Paralympics — give up his favourite sweets or put his career at risk due to rapid weight gain and a back injury that troubled him before the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year where he won a gold. On the advice of his physio, Antil grudgingly gave up sweets, followed a strict training regimen and shed around 12 kilograms in just two months.

His sacrifice paid off on Monday when the Sonepat-lad became the first Indian man and only the second Indian overall to defend a Paralympic title, clinching gold in the F64 category with a record throw of 70.59m.

This new mark bettered his previous Paralympic best of 68.55m set in Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

“I’ve reduced around 10-12 kilos. My physio, Vipin Bhai, told me that the weight was putting pressure on my spine. So, I cut out sweets, which are my favourite, and focused on eating right,” he revealed in a media interaction here.

Fixing his back by taking adequate rest is the first thing Antil will do after his return to India.

“I was not at 100 per cent. I had to take a painkiller before my throw, and even during training, I haven’t been at my best. The first priority is to fix my back after we return to India because rest is crucial with the type of injury I have.

“With competitions so close, I haven’t been able to rest properly and have constantly taken precautions to protect my back. I’ve been careful with every movement to avoid aggravating it further,” he added.

He also thanked his coach (Arun Kumar) for always knowing what he needed, staying up nights to plan his schedule, and putting in tremendous effort. He said his coach had worked even harder than him.

“I also started doing CrossFit workouts, sprints, and trained hard. It’s been two years with my coach, and he’s like an elder brother to me. He knows exactly what I need and when I need it.

“I’ve seen him stay up nights to plan my schedule. My team has put in a tremendous effort for me, and I feel truly blessed to have them,” he said.

“Once you reach a certain level, the responsibility on you increases, and all eyes are on you. Hopefully, after this, I’ll finally get some rest. I’ve been continuously on the field for the past two to three years.” He said he sustained the injury in 2023 ahead of the Asian Para Games and kept competing in back-to-back tournaments.

Antil dreamed of becoming a wrestler and was inspired by Olympic bronze-medallist Yogeshwar Dutt.

However, in 2015, his life changed when a tractor accident led to the amputation of his left leg below the knee.

Undeterred, Sumit was introduced to para-sports in 2017 by a fellow athlete from his village.

Despite the pain and challenges of training with a prosthetic leg, he found his new passion in javelin.

Under coach Naval Singh’s guidance, Sumit’s relentless dedication transformed him into a champion.

The F64 category, in which he competes, is designated for athletes with lower limb impairments, including those using prosthetics or dealing with leg length discrepancies.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Antil said after struggling with sleep and increased nervousness due to the high expectations of people around him, he was now feeling relaxed.

“I think it’s been three nights since I’ve had proper sleep. When you’re at a certain level, and people expect things from you, the nervousness increases,” he said.

“Back in Tokyo, no one knew me, and I didn’t feel that much pressure; I could sleep peacefully. But this time, the last 3-4 days have been extremely stressful,” he revealed.

However, his throw was short of his own world record of 73.29m and he seemed a tad unhappy with this.

“I’m used to a different synthetic track, here (on Mondotrack) I was slipping, I was not able to feel the runway with my legs.

“I know my coach is not that happy but will do it in coming competitions,” he rued.

ONE OF A KIND: SANGWAN

Paralympic Committee of India vice president Satya Prakash Sangwan, who is also the chef de mission for the Indian squad here, said he always knew Antil would script history.

“Since 2017, I’ve seen how hard he works and how down-to-earth he has been from day one. I knew right from the start that he would make history. Athletes like him are rare. You can see how humble he is from winning gold in Tokyo and here as well,” he said.

“His dedication to his sport and his country is unmatched; he doesn’t get distracted by anything else. I’ve never come across an athlete who remains so humble and down-to-earth, even after achieving so much success. I am truly proud of Sumit,” he added.

Paris 2024 Paralympics Day 5 Highlights© X (Twitter)

Star javelin thrower Sumit Antil on Monday became the first Indian man and second from the country to defend the title as he won the F64 category gold with Paralympics record of 70.59m at the Paris Games. The 26-year-old world record holder from Sonipat in Haryana bettered his own earlier Paralympic best of 68.55m set in Tokyo while winning the gold three years ago.

Antil’s world record stands at 73.29m.

Reigning world champion Antil is the second Indian overall after shooter Avani Lekhara to defend the Paralympics title. Avani had won gold in women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event in Paris after winning a yellow metal in the same event in Tokyo Games.

He also joined an exclusive three-member club of Indians who have won two Paralympics gold. Besides Antil and Avani, the third member of the group is current Paralympic Committee of India President Devendra Jhajharia who won javelin throw F46 gold in 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Games.

Antil has also won gold in the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023 and 2024, besides standing on top of podium in last year’s Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

The wrestler-turned-javelin thrower clinched India’s third gold of the Paris Paralympics and first in para-athletics. It was India’s fifth medal from para-athletics here.

Antil destroyed the field with his second round throw of 70.59m. He had two other big throws of 69.11m in his opening attempt and 69.04m in his fifth effort, both bettering his earlier Paralympic record.

Antil, though, could not breach the 75m mark, the target he had set before going to the Paris Games.

Dulan Kodithuwakku of Sri Lanka took the silver with 67.03m while Michal Burian of Australia won the bronze with a throw of 64.89m.

Two other Indians in the fray, Sandeep and Sandip Sanjay Sargar, finished fourth and seventh with throws of 62.80m and 58.03m respectively.

F64 category is for athletes with problems in the lower limb(s), those competing with prosthesis or affected by leg length difference.

Antil lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2015. A student of Delhi’s Ramjas College, Antil was an able-bodied wrestler before his accident which led to amputation of his leg below the knee.

A para athlete in his village initiated him to the sport in 2018.

He even competed against Tokyo Olympics champion Neeraj Chopra in the able-bodied Indian Grand Prix series 3 on March 5, 2021 in Patiala. He had finished seventh with a best throw of 66.43m while Chopra shattered his then national record with a big effort of 88.07m.

Earlier in the day, Yogesh Kathuniya clinched his second consecutive Paralympic silver medal in men’s discus throw F-56 event with a season’s best effort 42.22m.

The 27-year-old hurled the discus to the podium-clinching distance in his very first attempt to add to the silver he won in Tokyo.

Brazil’s Claudiney Batista dos Santos registered a hat-trick of Paralympic gold medals, creating a new Games record with an effort of 46.86m in his fifth attempt.

Greece’s Konstantinos Tzounis won the bronze with 41.32m.

The F-56 classification covers limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power and impaired range of movement.

At the age of 9, Kathuniya developed the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune condition which causes numbness, tingling and muscle weakness that can progress to paralysis.

He was bound to the wheelchair during his childhood but overcame the odds with the help of his mother Meena Devi, who learnt physiotherapy to help him regain muscle strength to walk again. His father has served in the Indian Army.

Kathuniya is a commerce graduate from Delhi’s prestigious Kirori Mal College.

Besides two Paralympic silver medals, he has three world championship medals, including two silver and a bronze.

On Sunday, Preethi Pal created history as she became the first Indian woman track and field athlete to win two medals at the Paralympics while Nishad Kumar clinched his second successive silver at the showpiece in the men’s high jump T47 category.

The 23-year-old Preethi bagged a bronze in the 200m T35 category with a personal best time of 30.01 seconds. She also won a bronze in the 100m T35 category on Friday.

She also became only the second Indian woman to win two medals — both bronze — in a single Paralympics after shooter Avani Lekhara who won a gold and a bronze in Tokyo three years ago.

A farmer’s daughter from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Preethi faced significant physical challenges when she was born as her lower body was plastered for six days after birth. Weak legs and an irregular leg posture made her prone to various diseases.

She underwent various traditional treatments to strengthen her legs, including wearing calipers for eight years from the age of five.

T35 classification is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis.

The 24-year-old Nishad, who hails from Una in Himachal Pradesh, won India’s third medal from para-athletics and seventh overall for the country in Paris Paralympics with a season’s best effort of 2.04m.

Nishad lost his right hand in a grass-cutting machine accident when he was six-year-old.

Nishad had also won a silver in Tokyo Paralympics three years ago with a jump of 2.06m.

File image of javelin thrower Sumit Antil.© X (Twitter)