India’s Yogesh Kathuniya Secures Silver in Men’s Discus F56 at Paris Paralympics

NEW DELHI: Indian para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya continued his good streak at the Paralympics to earn a silver in the men's discus throw F56 event at the Stade de France on Monday, September 2. Kathuniya had taken to Tokyo, winning a silver. He repeated that act with a season-best throw of 42.22 meters. This was good enough to bring home a silver medal for the second successive time in the Paralympics, besides being India's eighth medal in the Paris Paralympic events, which once again underlined the country's growing prowess in para-athletics. The 27-year-old Kathuniya got down to business right from word go, managing his season's best on his very first throw.

Despite the excellent start, he could not better his first throw in the remaining five attempts. The gold medal, however, went to Brazil's Claudiney Batista, who set a new Paralympic record of 46.86 meters. Kathuniya's silver takes India's para-athletics medals tally to four here-a bronze and a silver by Nishad Kumar in high jump and Preethi Pal in the 200m respectively on Sunday, September 1. Yogesh Kathuniya's journey to the Paralympic podium is no less than a fairy tale.

Born on March 3, 1997, in Bahadurgarh, India, Kathuniya was brought up under a lot of challenges from his childhood. At the tender age of nine years, he had a rare neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barré syndrome, which left him wheelchair-bound for two years. Determined not to let the condition define him, Kathuniya, through his mother's support, Meena Devi, who never gave up, gained his ability to walk again within three years. Kathuniya's introduction to para sports came while he was studying at Kirori Mal College in Delhi. Inspired by videos of para-athletes, he began to take an interest in discus throw in 2016. His talent soon shone through, and in 2018 he set a world record in the F36 category with a throw of 45.18 meters at the World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin.

Kathuniya has still kept the burning desire to break the jinx of 50 meters despite continuous struggles with muscle fatigue among other health complications. His daily training and the unwavering support of the family, especially his mother, have been instrumental in his success.

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