After defending his crown in Paris, para-javelin thrower Sumit Antil sets eye on breaching 80m mark
Sep 03, 2024
New Delhi [India], September 3 : After becoming the first Indian male para-athlete to successfully defend his gold at the Paralympics with a record-breaking attempt in the javelin throw F64 class final, Sumit Antil is looking to breach the 80m mark in future.
In the men's javelin throw F64 final, the defending champion broke his record at the Paralympics to clinch India's third gold in the ongoing marquee event in Paris.
He kicked off the proceedings with a throw of 69.11m and broke his own Paralympic Record of 68.55m that he set in Tokyo. In his second throw, he bettered his Paralympic record by sending his javelin to a record-breaking distance of 70.59m, rewriting the Paralympic record yet again.
After successfully setting the new Paralympic record with a 70m throw, the 26-year-old is looking to raise the bar and breach the 80m mark.
"At some point in my life, whenever I'll be at my peak, I want to see how it feels like to throw more than 80m. I would love to spend more time with my family because I have dedicated the last few months only to my game, and I got very little time with my family," Sumit told ANI.
In the same event, Sumit's compatriot Sandeep tried to push his name for a podium finish and even produced a season-best throw of 62.80m in his third attempt. But it wasn't enough for him to end up at the podium after the conclusion of the event. He finished in the fourth position and narrowly missed out on a medal.
Sandip Sanjay Sagar, another Indian athlete taking part in the event, missed out on a medal. His best throw in the event was 58.03m.
Before Sumit, para-shuttler Nitesh Kumar, who discovered his passion in badminton at IIT-Mandi, added a second gold to India's medal tally in the men's singles SL3 category. Before him, para-shooter Avani Lekhra got his hands on the nation's first gold at the Paris Paralympics with a sensational display in the women's 10m air rifle final.
