Tokyo Paralympics 2021: Introducing the Triumphants

Tokyo Paralympic Games are one of the major international multi-sport, parasports events administered by the International Paralympic Committee. Programmed as the 16th Summer Paralympic Games, they are ongoing in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 August - 5 September 2021. The events are branded as Tokyo 2020. Initially scheduled between 21 August and 6 September 2020, both the Olympics and Paralympics were postponed to 2021 in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is held behind closed doors with no public viewers allowed to a situation of emergency in Tokyo. These mark the second Summer Paralympics to be hosted by Tokyo since the 1964 Games, and the third Paralympics held in Japan overall since the 1998 Winter Paralympics. The first city to host the Paralympics twice was Tokyo.

Tokyo Paralympics: Full List of India’s Medal Winners:

Avani Lekhara - is a Paralympian and rifle shooter from India. She got a gold medal in a 10m air rifle standing at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Avani is currently World No 5 in Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 and has competed in the 2018 Asian Para Games. GoSports Foundation has supported her through the Para Champions Programme. A car accident in 2012 at the age of 11 left her with complete paraplegia. Her father encouraged her to join sports, training in archery but moving to shooting, in which she found her true passion. Avani won India's first gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics. With a score of 249.6 points in the final event, the young shooter set a Paralympic record and tied the world record. She currently studies law in Rajasthan, India.

Sumit Antil - is an Indian Paralympian and javelin thrower. He won a gold medal in the men's javelin throw F64 category at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. He holds the current world record of 68.55 meters thrown in the Paralympic final. Sumit lost his left leg below the knee after being involved in a motorbike accident in 2015 at the age of 17. After witnessing his talent, hard work, and potential, GoSports inducted him into the Para Champions Programme in 2019, and he has only got better since then. Sumit was introduced to Para athletics by another para-athlete, Rajkumar while pursuing his B.Com from a prestigious institute, Ramjas college of Delhi University.

Bhavina Hasmukhbhai - Patel is an table tennis player from Mehsana, Gujarat. She won a silver medal in Class 4 Table tennis at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. “16 times she has represented India in para table tennis, 13 international medals, current world rank no.12. Bhavina Patel is presently working in Revenue Recovery Cell of  Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India at Ahmedabad office as Asstt/Head clerk. Bhavina Patel was recruited in ESIC, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt of India, as a special project under which Meritorious sports persons were recruited to the Upper Division Clerk (UDC) post.

Devendra Jhajharia - is an Indian javelin thrower competing in F46 events. He won the silver medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. He is the first Indian Paralympics player to win two gold medals at the Paralympics. He won his first gold in the javelin throw at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, becoming the second gold medalist at the Paralympics for his country. At the age of eight, climbing a tree, he touched a live electric cable. He received medical attention, but the doctors were forced to amputate his left hand. In 1997 he was spotted by Dronacharya Awardee coach R. D. Singh while competing at a school sports day, and from that point was coached by Singh.

Yogesh Kathuniya - is an athlete who specializes in the discus throw. He represented India at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, where he won a silver medal in the men's discus throw F56 event. He has a rare neurological disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and consequent quadriparesis confined him to a wheelchair in 2006. He studied at the Indian Army Public School in Chandigarh, where his father served in the army at Chandimandir Cantonment. His mother learned physiotherapy, and within three years, at the age of 12, he regained muscle strength to walk again. He later studied Bachelor of Commerce degree from Kirori Mal College in Delhi, where he joined para games.

Nishad Kumar - is a Paralympian and high jumper. Nishad hails from Una, Himachal Pradesh. He met with a tragic accident at the age of eight and lost his right hand during the accident. He took up the sport of para-athletics in 2009. He made his maiden Paralympic Games appearance in 2020 Tokyo representing India, and claimed a silver medal in the men's high jump T47 category with a new Asian record of 2.06m. In November 2019, he claimed the bronze medal in the men's T47 category at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, and as a result, he qualified to compete at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. He claimed the gold medal in the T46 category at the 2021 World Para Athletics Grand Prix held in Dubai.

Sundar Singh Gurjar - is a javelin thrower, shot putter, and discus thrower competing in F46 events. Sundar won a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in the men's javelin F46 event. In 2016 Sundar Singh Gurjar registered the 'A' qualification mark for the 2016 Rio Paralympics with a performance of 59.36m in the 8th Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix, Dubai. He created a national record with 68.42m during the 16th Para Athletics National Championship in Panchkula. He is also the beneficiary of the Arjuna Award for Para-athletics. In the 9th FAZZA IPC Athletics Grand Prix, Sundar won 3 Gold Medals in 3 Events -Javelin Throw, Shot Put, and Discus Throw under the coaching of Mahaveer Prasad Saini. He won a silver medal in javelin throw and a bronze medal in discus throw in Asian Para Games 2018.

Singhraj Adhana - Bronze Medal - men's 10m air pistol shooting SH1 - Singhraj Adana took to the sport just four years before, won the Paralympics bronze medal in the P1 men's 10m air pistol SH1 event. Adana was getting into the Games after winning gold at the 2021 Para Sport World Cup held in Al Ain, UAE, where he upstaged 2016 Rio Paralympics bronze medallist Server Ibragimov by 2.8 points to claim the top spot. The 39-year-old, afflicted with polio and was preparing his Games debut, shot a total of 216.8 to finish the event in third place after qualifying for the eight-man final as the sixth-best shooter. He had worked as the chairman of the Sainik School in Faridabad.

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