Paralympics: Javelin’s golden boy Sumit Antil keeps competing with himself

Sumit Antil – India’s Paralympics strongman in javelin – revealed on the eve of leaving for Paris as to how Neeraj Chopra continues to inspire him. On Monday night at Stade de France, the man from Sonepat kept his date with history at the same venue where his idol had missed out on defending his gold less than a month back and had to settle for silver.     

‘’Neeraj bhai had told me not to do anything different,’’ the 26-year-old had said on that occasion. Sumit’s early rhythm ensured that he did not do anything extra as he nailed a throw of 69.11 metres to take the lead after the first round. He improved upon it to hit 70.59 m to better his own Games record set in Tokyo (68.55m) three years earlier to extend the lead from the rest of the pack and virtually ensure the back-to-back gold.

The third throw from Antil was 66.66 m and the fourth one wasn’t counted as it was a false throw. While the javelin throwers usually come up with their best in the early attempts, Sumit dug deep to produce another stunning throw of 69.04 m to virtually ‘kill’ the competition.

As the country woke up on Tuesday to the good news, there is a new-found admiration about the man whose consistency in the mega events matches that of the iconic Chopra. After striking gold in Tokyo, he came up with a world record in Asian Para Games in Hang Zhou, improved it on way to gold at the World Para Athletics Championship last year and again retained it at the Worlds earlier this year.  

Sumit’s dedication to set the bar higher for himself led him to break his own world mark four times, culminating in the record-breaking throw of 73.29m at Hangzhou in 2023. It stands as the longest throw in para-athletics across all categories.

As a teenager growing up in Sonepat in Haryana, Sumit had taken to wrestling like most kids of his ilk till fate had intervened cruelly when he lost his leg in an accident on his way home from a coaching class. His father, who was in Air Force, got Sumit’s treatment done at the Army Hospital and a prosthetic leg was attached on his left lower limb.

Struggling to adjust with it initially and being occasionally depressed, Sumit found a new purpose after meeting Rajkumar, a para-athlete from his village, who introduced him to the arena of Para Games. Enduring severe pain and hardship, Sumit persisted with the support of his family and friends and proved to be a quick learner.

What next for the champion? Sumit’s target is to for the 75 metres sooner than later. The way he has been breaking barriers, that goal is certainly not beyond him!