Reigning paralympic and world champion, Sumit Antil clinched a gold medal while improving his own world record in the men's javelin F64 event at the Asian Para Games, on Wednesday 25 October in Hangzhou, China.
With an incredible throw of 73.29 meters, which set new World, Para Asian and Games records, Sumit finished at the first place.
With his opening throw of 66.22 meters, Sumit got off to a strong start and easily eclipsed his own Games Record of 56.29 meters set in Jakarta back in 2018. He almost equaled his own world record of 70.83 meters, which he had established at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris earlier this year, with an amazing 70.48 meters in his second throw.
With a stunning throw of 73.29 meters in his third attempt, he completely obliterated the record.
Sumit, who was born in Sonipat, Haryana in 1998, was once a wrestler who longed to represent India internationally. However, his life irrevocably changed in 2015 as he was hospitalized at the Army Hospital after suffering a terrible mishap on his way back from tuition. Doctors were forced to amputate his leg below the knee due to the severity of the injury.
Nevertheless, Sumit kept up his regular training even after his hopes of becoming a wrestler were shattered. He met Rajkumar, a para-athlete, in his village two years after the tragic accident, and it was Rajkumar who introduced him to the Para Games.
Sumit had to put in a lot of work and practice to be a para-athlete, which caused his prosthetic limb to fill with blood from the heat. But he was able to make it to the national and eventually international stage with the backing of his family, friends, and a never-say-die outlook.
In his first significant international competition, Sumit broke the world record in the F64 category and took home the silver medal in the Combined Event at the 2019 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Italy. In 2019, he maintained his incredible run and walked away with silver in the F64 category at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, breaking yet another record.
Sumit's greatest moment arose when he competed in the F64 event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, where he picked up a gold medal and set a world record with a throw of 68.55 meters.
With a world record throw of 70.83 meters set earlier this year at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, the star athlete completely changed the course of history. Now, at the ongoing Asian Para Games 2023, he broke the record all over again.
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