This award will inspire me to win more medals for India

Sumit Antil is gearing up for the Asian Para Championships 2022 and said that he will give his all to make India proud in Guangzhou in October.

Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Sumit Antil was adjudged the Parathlete of the Year (Male) at the Sportstar Aces 2022 Awards in Mumbai on March 19.

The Haryana-born javelin thrower won the gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in the F64 category, creating a new world record with a throw of 6■.55m and captured the imagination of sports fans.

The F64 category consists of athletes with unilateral below-knee limb deficiency. They compete with a prosthesis where the minimum impairment criteria for lower limb deficiency and leg length discrepancy are met.

With the award in hand, Sumit said, “I would like to thank Sportstar for inviting me. This award will inspire me in the future to win more medals for India and when my time gets over, I will definitely encourage the upcoming generations for the same as well.”

Sumit has broken his own world record in para-javelin throw twice, throwing 62.■■m at the World Parathletics Championship in 2019, breaking his own previous record and smashed that two years later in Tokyo. In November last year, he was awarded the highest sporting honour in the country — the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

Mentioning his idols, Sumit talked about Devendra Jhajharia, the only Paralympian to win two gold medals in the quadrennial event, and said he was glad to get the recognition that Paralympians may have missed previously.

Sumit said he will aim to improve his personal performance without putting much importance on awards. “Amid all events and awards, it’s been five months since I’ve worked out,” he said.

“So, first, I will bring my (level of) fitness back, then I will try to replicate my performance in the practice ground (which is about 72m) in competition. Then, I’ll try to better my performance.”

The 24-year-old is gearing up for the Asian Para Championships 2022 and said that he will give his all to make India proud in Guangzhou in October.

K. R. DEEPAK Para javelin thrower Sumit Antil being awarded the Sportsman of the Year (parasports) by chess player Pravin Thipsay, and P. V. Ravitej, Executive Director-incharge, Refineries Project, BPCL, at the Sportstar Aces Awards.