Sep 05, 2024 06:39 AM IST
Dharambir hurled the club to a distance of 34.92m in his fifth attempt while Soorma threw 34.59m in his first attempt
It was an Indian one-two in men’s club throw F51 event at the Paris Paralympics as Dharambir and Pranav Soorma won gold and silver respectively. Dharambir smashed the Asian record with a best throw of 34.92m in his fifth attempt. Soorma then produced a throw of 34.59m in his first attempt but couldn’t better it in later attempts. He thus took silver as Indians locked out the top two in the event. Serbia’s Filip Graovac bagged the bronze with a 34.18m throw in his second attempt.
India has risen to 13th on the Paris Paralympics standings, with these two medals taking the country’s total tally at these Games alone to 24. Dharambir is the fifth Indian to have won gold while Soorma is India’s ninth silver medallist in Paris. Notably, Amit Kumar Saroha, who is a mentor to Dharambir and the 2017 world championship silver medallist, was the third Indian in the fray. He, however, finished last with a best effort of 23.96m.
The F51 event is for athletes whose movements in the trunk, legs and hands have been highly affected. All athletes compete while seated and rely on their shoulders and arm to generate power.
Four fouled attempts and then a record
Dharambir made four foul attempts first up. The 35-year-old, who had won bronze at the world championships this year in Kobe Japan, then managed to break the Asian record and take the top spot in his next throw.
Dharambir was left paralysed from waist down after he misjudged a dive into a canal. It was Saroha who introduced him to para-athletics and within a couple of years of taking it up, Dharambir qualified for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He finished ninth there and then eighth at the Tokyo Paralympics. Dharambir had earlier won silver at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in early 2022.
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