After Rio Paralympics gold, Jhajharia aims for treble in Tokyo

The gold medal in men's javelin throw F46 category in the Rio Paralympics made Devendra Jhajharia the most successful Indian para athlete ever but he is in no mood to stop here and is eyeing for a treble in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

The 35-year-old Jhajharia, a left-hand amputee, is the only Indian para athlete to have won two gold medals in the Paralympics, the earlier one being the yellow metal he won in 2004 Athens.

"I am not stopping here after the Rio success. I have enough gas in my tank and I will definitely go for gold in Tokyo. I know my body and I can still train two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening rigorously everyday, just like I did in the build-up to the Rio Paralympics," Jhajharia told PTI in an interview.

"I have two gold from Paralympics and both of these are world records. But I am not going to rest with these laurels. I want to add another gold, a treble, in Tokyo in 2020," he added.

But the catch is it's not certain that Jhajharia's event may be in 2020 Paralympics once again just like it was not there in the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics.

"The IPC decides which events (classifications) will be there in a Paralympics. There are a lot of classifications in the Paralympics based on the level of disability. For example, the IPC may decide that there will be 50 or 60 events in athletics in a Paralympics and accordingly classifications are made. IPC will decide next year during the IPC World Athletics Championships in London (in July) which events will be there in Tokyo," he explained.

"I am hoping that my event will be there in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics," he added.

Only three Indians have won a gold in the Paralympics. The first Indian to win a gold in Paralympics was Murlikant Petkar who bagged the yellow metal in men's 50m freestyle in 1972 Heidelberg Games.

In Rio, Mariyappan Thangavelu also won a gold in men's high jump T42 with Jhajharia bagging the second yellow metal in the same Games earlier this month.

Joginder Singh Bedi, however, remained the Indian with most medals in Paralympics, though without a gold. In the 1984 Paralympic Games at Stoke Mandeville and New York, he won a silver in men's shot put L6, a bronze each in men's discus throw L6 and men's javelin L6.