New Delhi: Two unfortunate accidents, which resulted in lifelong disability, didn’t deter India’s leading differently-abled javelin throwers Rinku Hooda and Sundar Singh Gurjar from achieving a momentous 1-2 for the country at the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships here. In a dominant display on a humid evening, Rinku and Sundar gave the home crowd extra reason to cheer by claiming gold and silver in the men’s javelin throw F46 final. The F46 classification in javelin throw is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power, or impaired passive range of movement, who compete in a standing position. India missed out on a podium sweep as Paris Paralympics silver medallist Ajeet Singh Yadav finished fourth with a best effort of 61.77m. Cuba’s Guillermo Varona Gonzalez secured bronze with 63.34m. Rinku sealed the top podium spot with a huge throw of 66.37m in his fourth attempt, while Sundar heaved his spear to 64.76m in the fifth round to claim silver.
After the competition, the 26-year-old Rinku celebrated by copying football legend Ronaldo’s victory style, running towards the stand where Indian fans were seated, jumping and twisting in the air before landing with outstretched arms. En route to his gold, Rinku also broke the 10-year-old Championships record held by China’s C Guo, who threw 61.89m. “It was always my dream to win the World Championships gold medal. I waited for this moment for a long time. At the 2023 edition, I finished second and it was kind of heartbreaking for me. Today, my whole family was there in the stands cheering for me. Winning in front of them is special. I have always admired Ronaldo. He is a big inspiration for me. I always wanted to mimic his victory celebration and today, after winning the gold, I did just that,” Rinku said. Rinku, from village Dhamar near Haryana’s Rohtak, lost his left arm in an accident at the age of three and does not consider his disability a weakness. Sundar, aged 29, gave a strong contest, initially overtaking Rinku with a throw of 64.11m in his third attempt, but was surpassed by Rinku’s subsequent throw. Although Sundar holds the world record of 68.60m in the event, he settled for silver after fouling his sixth and final attempt. “I tried hard but the throw which I was looking for didn’t come. I was experiencing some stiffness in my body. I last won the World Championships gold in 2017 and today I was looking to claim my second top podium finish in front of the home crowd. It didn’t happen, but I am happy with my performance and elated for Rinku who deserved it,” Sundar said. Sundar, from Rajasthan’s Karauli district, transitioned to the F46 category after a tragic accident that resulted in the amputation of his left hand. Sundar competed in the general category until 2015 before the accident changed everything. A tin roof fell on him at his home, leading to the amputation of his left hand. Gurjar didn’t give up on his sports dreams and enrolled as a para athlete. Sundar once competed alongside Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra in 2013 at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Guntur. At that meet, Sundar finished with bronze while Neeraj claimed silver.
