Tokyo Paralympics: Amit & Dharambir finish 5th & 8th in F-51 club throw final; win hearts

India's Amit Saroha and Dharambir Nain on Wednesday showed a valiant effort in the F-51 category of the Club Throw final at Tokyo Paralympics 2020. But, they failed to reach the podium. Amit Kumar and Dharambir ended fifth and eighth, respectively. Arjuna awardee Amit Saroha finished fifth with his best throw of  27.77m. In the Rio Paralympics, Amit Saroha came close to a medal however he missed Bronze by a whisker and finished 4th. On the other hand, Dharambir Nain struggled to get going as out of his six attempts only one was counted as a legal throw with 25.59m. 

F51 classification is for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference due to cervical cord injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, or functional disorders. Athletes compete in a seated position. With this event, India ended the day medal-less after touching the unprecedented double-digit mark on Tuesday with a haul of 10 so far, including two gold.

Taimazov hurled the club to 35.42m, creating a new world record in the process. The silver was claimed by the Czech Republic's Zeljko Dimitrijevic, who recorded a personal best of 35.29m. Slovakian Marian Kureja, who logged a distance of 30.66m, took home the bronze medal.

Club throw is the Paralympic equivalent of the hammer throw event in the Olympics, and here the objective is to throw a wooden club the farthest.

Netizens laud Amit and Dharambir

Amit Saroha and Dharambir Nain have been receiving congratulatory messages on social media after the final. Their performance has won hearts. 

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur Felicitates Silver Medalist Nishad Kumar

Earlier, Union Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday, felicitated Tokyo Paralympics silver medalist Nishad Kumar in New Delhi. The meeting also witnessed the presence of the Minister of State for Sports Nisith Pramanik. Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, Nishad Kumar bagged silver in the Men’s High Jump T47 category at the Tokyo Paralympics with a jump of 2.06 metres. 

Thakur also congratulated Nishad on his massive success and said that the Paralympics silver medalist has shown with perseverance, great heights can be achieved at all levels. Thakur added that the government will continue to support the Paralympians in the country with both, facilities and funding so that the athletes can continue to add feathers to their cap internationally. 

(Image Credit: @Tokyo2020hi/Twitter)