India Grab Gold and Bronze in Men’s High Jump at Rio Paralympics

Just the second day of the Games.

Mariyappan Thangavelu and Varun Singh Bhati celebrate after their event in Rio

The over 100-strong contingent at the Olympics may have struggled to win India medals in Rio, but the Paralympians have already got India on the board on the second day of the Games.

Mariyappan Thangavelu and Varun Singh Bhati grabbed the gold and bronze medals in the Men’s High Jump T42 Finals.

Mariyappan Thangavelu in action during the Men’s High Jump - T42 Final at the Olympic Stadium. (Photo: AP)

Following a series of extremely competitive jumps that saw the Indians match their rivals each time, Mariyappan clinched the gold by pulling off the highest jump of 1.89 meters. USA’s Sam Grewe and Varun Bhati, with jumps of 1.86 metres each, bagged the silver and bronze respectively.

India’s other medal prospect in the event, Sharad Kumar finished sixth.

Mariyappan’s medal in fact is India’s first-ever gold in high-jump at the Paralympics. He now becomes only the third Indian Paralympian to bag the medal, after swimmer Murlikant Petkar achieved the feat at the 1972 Heidelberg Games and then javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia finished on top of the podium at the Athens Games in 2004.