Paralympics: Kapil Parmar wins historic judo bronze for India

Kapil Parmar bagged India's first-ever Paralympic medal in judo, winning a bronze in the men's 60kg (J1) after convincingly defeating Brazil's Elielton de Oliveira in the play-off in Paris on Thursday.

Parmar produced a superlative performance, dominating his opponent from start to finish to record a 10-0 win in the bronze medal contest. He had earlier lost to S. Banitaba Khorram Abadi in the semifinals, beaten 0-10 by his Iranian opponent.

The J1 class in para judo is for athletes who suffer from no to very low visual activity. Athletes in this category wear red circles to indicate that they may need guided support before, during and after a contest.

Parmar, who won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the same category, had earlier beaten Venezuela's Marco Dennis Blanco 10-0 in the quarterfinals. He was, however, handed a yellow card in each of the two contests on Thursday.

Yellow cards in judo are given for minor violations such as passivity or using a technique that might hinder the opponent or cause injury.

Parmar comes from a small village named Shivor in Madhya Pradesh. As a child, he had a life-altering accident when he was playing in the fields of his village and accidentally touched a water pump, resulting in a severe electric shock. He was found unconscious by a villager and taken to hospital, where he remained in coma for six months.

He is the youngest of four brothers and a sister. His middle brother, who is also into judo, often trains with him. Parmar's father works as a taxi driver, while his sister runs a primary school.

Despite the setback, Parmar never gave up his love for judo. He continued to pursue his passion in blind judo, thanks to his mentor and coaches Bhagwan Das and Manoj.

It was not end of the struggle for Parmar, who used to run a tea stall with his brother Lalit to make ends meet. Lalit, his source of inspiration, even now remains his main source of financial support.