Tokyo Paralympics 2020: India wins 2 medals in high jump
New Delhi: Indian athletes Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men’s high jump event under the T42 category at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics 2020 on Tuesday.
The 2016 Rio Paralympic gold medalist started with a high jump of 1.83m and crossed 1.86m in his third attempt to bag a silver medal in the finals. “I could’ve won gold and claim the world record if only the rains had not played spoilsport. The sock on my other leg was wet due to heavy rains, making the jump difficult,” Mariyappan said after the event.
American athlete Sam Gravery successfully jumped 1.88m in the third attempt to win the gold medal.
Sharad Kumar crossed over 1.80m in his first attempt, but failed to cover the 1.86m distance, and came third with a winning distance of 1.83m in the finals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the players through Twitter. Sharing a picture with Mariyappan, he tweeted, “Soaring higher and higher! Mariyappan Thangavelu is synonymous with consistency and excellence. Congratulations to him for winning the Silver Medal. India is proud of his feat.”
“The indomitable Sharad Kumar has brought smiles on the faces of every Indian by winning the Bronze Medal. His life journey will motivate many. Congratulations to him,” the PM wrote.
The T42 classification includes athletes suffering leg deficiencies, leg-length differences, impaired muscle power, or impaired passive range of leg movements. The athletes need to compete in a standing position.
So far, India has won 2 gold, 5 silver, and 3 bronze medals in the Paralympics.
(Avya Mathur)
