Zoom News : Aug 30, 2021, 05:25 PM
Sports Desk: Indian para javelin thrower Sumit Antil on Monday clinched India's second gold in Tokyo Paralympics by winning the men's javelin F64 event with a world record throw of 68.55 metres. The 23-year-old from Sonepat in Haryana, who lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2015, dominated the show from the word go as he improved the World Record three times in the final.Australian Michal Burian (66.29m) and Sri Lanka's Dulan Kodithuwakku (65.61m) took the silver and bronze respectively.The F64 category is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prosthetics in a standing position.A student of Delhi's Ramjas College, Antil was an able-bodied wrestler before his accident which led to the amputation of his leg below the knee. A para-athlete in his village initiated him to the sport in 2018.He also competed against Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in the able-bodied Indian Grand Prix series 3 on March 5 in Patiala.He finished seventh with a best throw of 66.43m while Chopra shattered his own national record with a big effort of 88.07m.He won a silver in the F64 javelin throw at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai.Earlier in the day, javelin throwers Devendra Jhajharia and Sundar Singh Gurjar won silver and bronze respectively in the men's Standing Javelin (F46). Devendra Jhajharia grabbed silver with a personal best throw of 64.35m. This was also his third medal at Paralympic Games. Meanwhile, Sundar captured bronze with a season-best throw of 62.58m.Shooter Avani Lekhara had claimed the women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event gold in the morning.