New Delhi: India’s Pranav Soorma and Dharambir Nain failed to secure a top-two finish in the men’s club throw F51 final at the ongoing World Para Athletics Championships here, ending the country’s consecutive double podium streak in the event. The duo had previously achieved a brilliant 1-2 finish at the Asian Para Games in 2023. At the Paris Paralympics last year, they swapped places, with Dharambir finishing ahead of Soorma to secure a 1-2 finish once again. Despite expectations for India to continue its dominance in the club throw event, another top-two finish eluded the athletes this time on Thursday.Dharambir, 36, finished second with a best throw of 29.71m, behind Serbia’s Aleksandar Radisic, who threw 30.36m for gold. Soorma, who was looking for his maiden para World medal, disappointed with a fifth-place finish in a nine-man final, despite producing a season best effort of 28.19m on his fifth attempt. Dharambir later said that weather gods played a part, with high humidity after rains impacting his performance. Rain lashed parts of Delhi-NCR on Thursday evening, leading to muggy conditions. The evening session at the JLN Stadium was halted for close to an hour due to showers, with the play remaining suspended till 7 pm.“I was quite confident about my chances of winning gold. The preparations and training were good. India has dominated the club throw event over the years and Soorma and I were expected to land two medals for the country. However, rain spoiled our plans. After the drizzle, the conditions became humid, and it became difficult to grip the club. My hands were moist. Still, I managed to win silver. Overall, it feels good to be among the medallists here,” said Dharambir, who faced a life-altering accident in 2012 when a misjudged dive into a canal left him paralysed from waist down at the age of 23.Soorma looked dejected with his underwhelming show. “I produced my season best (in his fifth attempt), but it wasn’t enough to win a medal. I was looking for some good throws, but they didn’t come. Not happy,” said Soorma, a cricket and roller hockey enthusiast who was just a teenager when a cement sheet fell on his head at the age of 16. It caused a severe spinal cord injury, leaving him paralysed.
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The club throw F51 classification is for athletes with impaired muscle power or range of movement in their trunk, legs and hands, requiring them to throw a wooden club from a seated position using only their arms and shoulders for power.Debutant Atul Kaushik wins bronzeOn a day when other Indians in different competition classes faltered, debutant Atul Kaushik shone bright with a bronze finish in the men’s discus throw F57 event after trailing his opponents for a major part of the final. The 29-year-old Kaushik, from the outskirts of South-West Delhi, produced a best effort of 45.61m in his fifth attempt to finish third in a 10-man final.The discus throw F57 classification is for athletes with a limb deficiency or leg length difference that affects their lower limbs but leaves their trunk and upper body functional. Athletes compete from a seated position, often using a throwing frame or chair, to throw.
