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Updated August 30th, 2021 at 23:06 IST

Sumit Antil's record breaking throws that won him gold medal at Tokyo Paralympics; WATCH

Sumit Antil scripted history at the Tokyo Paralympics not only for winning the gold medal with a world record, but breaking the record thrice en-route.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
Sumit Antil
Image: DD Sports Channel/Twitter | Image:self
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Sumit Antil scripted history at the Tokyo Paralympics not only for winning the gold medal with a world record, but breaking the record thrice en-route. Sumit won the gold in the javelin throw F64 final event thanks to a staggering throw of 66.95m. However, he beat his own record twice later on by scoring 68.08m on his second throw and 68.55m on his fifth throw. The Indian Paralympic athlete's javelin throws can be seen below.

Sumit Antil's world-record-breaking throws at Tokyo Paralympics

Sumit Antil smashed his previous world record of 62.88 on his first throw itself. That was not it, as he beat his previous record on five occasions on the day before scoring a foul in his last attempt. His series of throws included distances of 66.95, 68.08, 65.27, 66.71, 68.55 and a foul. Meanwhile, his three world-record throws can be seen in the video below.

Who is Sumit Antil?

Sumit Antil is an Indian Paralympic athlete, who was born in Sonipat and went to Ramjas College in Delhi. Sumit began taking part in para events due to an unfortunate incident in 2005, where he was involved in a motorbike accident, thereby losing his leg below the knees. While Sumit will be known for his historic javelin throw at the Tokyo Paralympics, interestingly this was not his first sport.

He began his career in able-bodied wrestling, which he took part in until 2015. Following his wrestling career, he took a three-year break to focus on his studies. After trying his luck in wrestling, he took up Para athletics in 2018 after receiving motivation from another Para-athlete in his village. In order to prepare for the Tokyo Paralympics, he trained with veteran Sandeep Choudhary at the Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and was coached by Virender Dhankad. 

Avani Lekhara won the gold medal in women's 10m Air Rifle SH1

After scraping through the qualifiers, Avani Lekhara kickstarted the final event with outstanding scores. She began with shots of 52.0, 51.3 and 21.6. Avani maintained her focus throughout the event as she ended with scores of 21.2, 20.1 and 20.5 to clinch Team India's first gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.

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Published August 30th, 2021 at 22:58 IST

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