"I was hoping to break the world record"
Sumit Antil won the gold medal in the men’s javelin F64 event at the 2024 Paralympics, becoming the first Indian male athlete to defend his Paralympics title.
The 26-year-old para-athlete achieved the feat with a new Paralympic record of 70.59m at the Stade de France.
Incredibly Antil got the better of the previous Paralympic record, set by him to win the gold medal at Tokyo 2020.
Sumit Antil said: “I was hoping to break the world record, but it’s good to have got the Paralympic record.”
In his first attempt, Antil threw a Paralympic record of 69.11m, beating his own record of 68.55m and placing him at the top of the standings.
Sumit Antil improved with 70.59 metres in his second attempt.
It ended up being the winning throw.
His fifth attempt landed at 69.04m, again better than the Tokyo 2020 mark.
Sumit Antil also holds the world record of 73.29m in the F64 class.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Choudhary finished in fourth place for the third time in a row in as many Games with his best throw of 62.80m.
Sandip Sanjay Sargar, also an F44 athlete, finished seventh with a throw of 58.03m.
Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku threw 67.03m for second place while Australia’s Michal Burian came third with a throw of 64.89m.
The javelin final featured athletes from both the F44 and F64 categories.
Both are part of sports classes designed for athletes with limb deficiencies, such as amputations or missing or shortened limbs from birth. All athletes in these classes compete in a standing position.
In classes 42-44, the legs are affected by the impairment while athletes with a leg deficiency who compete with a prosthesis take part in the F61-64 class.
In preparation for the 2024 Paralympics, Antil followed his physio’s advice, followed a strict training regime and lost 12 kilograms within two months.
He explained: “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.”
Antil admitted that he was not 100%, taking painkillers before throws and during training.
He stated that after returning to India his priority is to fix his back as rest is crucial with this type of injury.
Sumit Antil’s medal was India’s third gold medal at the ongoing Games.
Badminton player Nitesh Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s SL3 while Avani Lekhara defended her 10m air rifle shooting standing SH1 title.
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