• Monday, February 17, 2025

Sport

Kathuniya bags second consecutive Paralympic silver in men’s discus

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 the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago

Discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya after winning the silver medal in F56 category at Paris Paralympics. (PTI Photo)

By: Shajil Kumar

INDIA’S 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 at the ongoing Games here on Monday.

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 the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

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 nine, 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 Monday, Kathuniya won’t be satisfied with his performance given that he won the silver in Tokyo with a much better effort of 44.38m.

Kathuniya’s toughest competitor, the 45-year-old Dos Santos broke the Paralympic record twice on Monday, first registering 46.45m in his second attempt and then hurling the discus to 46.86m in his penultimate throw.

Dos Santos has also held the Paralympic record of 45.59m in this category which he achieved in the last edition in Tokyo.

Slovakia’s Dusan Laczko finished fourth and last with a best effort of 41.20m.

Thulasimathi in finals

Thulasimathi Murugesan outlasted compatriot Manisha Ramadass in an all-India affair to reach the women’s singles SU5 badminton final at the Paralympics here.

Murugesan, the top-seed from Tamil Nadu, defeated Ramadass 23-21, 21-17 in the semifinal played on Sunday night.

“It is like a dream come true. There is happiness but I need to prepare for the final. I mentally prepared for this match. We have a healthy competition every time (Manisha). Strategy for final, we are playing after a long time, we will see. It has been a very hard journey for me,” Murugesan said after the win.

The SU5 category is for athletes with impairment on the upper limbs, which could be in the playing or the non playing hand.

Assured of at least a silver medal, the 22-year-old Murgesan will face a stiff test from China’s Yang Qiuxia in the final on Monday.

Only six athletes are competing the women’s singles SU5 category at the Paris Paralympics.

Having started at a tender age of seven, Murugesan has gone on to become an accomplished para athlete. She won three medals at the 2022 Para Asian Games including a gold in women’s singles.

She was born with a congenital deformity in her left hand resulting in the loss of her thumb finger. A major accident further limited the mobility of her left hand.

Nishad, Preethi win medals

Para-athletes Nishad Kumar and Preethi Pal fetched a silver and bronze for India respectively while shuttler Suhas Yathiraj positioned himself for glory by reaching the summit clash for a second consecutive time at the Paris Paralympics here on Sunday.

nishad-paralympics
High jumper Nishad Kumar celebrates after winning silver medal in Paris 2024 Paralympics on September 2, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

However, star shooter Avani Lekhara missed out on repeating her medal-winning feat in her pet event.

India ended the Day 4 of competitions at 27th spot in the rankings with seven medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze).

Preethi 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, a farmer’s daughter from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, 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 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.

Preethi 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.

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

Later in the day, 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.

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

Nishad, who had also won a silver in Tokyo Paralympics three years ago with a jump of 2.06m, had a tough fight with world record holder and defending champion Townsend Roderick of the USA, who clinched the gold after clearing 2.12m. (PTI)

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