‘I was thrilled when Sachin sir congratulated me’

Para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya clinched the silver medal in Men’s Discus Throw (F56) event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, despite battling Covid-19 and training for months without a coach. “Covid-19 ke baad, maine sirf online coaching ki sir ke saath,” he shares. It was a dream come true for the 24year-old, when his favourite sports person reached out to him after his win. “Sachin Tendulkar sir ne mujhe message kiya aur woh mere liye sabse proud moment tha, kyunki woh mere favourite cricketer rahe hain bachpan se,” he says.

Kathuniya credits his college life in playing a major role to get him to where he is today. “My seniors at Kirori Mal College motivated me to get into sports. Mere dost hamesha mujhe motivate karte the. Aaj sab bahut khush hote hain medal dekh ke,” he says. Encouraging youngsters with special needs to become para-athletes, Kathuniya says, “Disability ko aise na samjho ki tum kuch nahi kar sakte. Disability yeh nahin hoti. Disable ka matlab hota hai ‘this is able’, matlab yeh kar sakta hain.”