Mariyappan, who was the gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, narrowly missed out on the Tokyo gold as he recorded a jump of 1.86 meters.
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India earned two more medals at the Tokyo Paralympics on Tuesday as Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sharad Kumar bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively in the men’s high jump T63 event. The gold medal was won by United States para athlete Sam Grewe, who bagged the top medal with an incredible jump of 1.88 meters. Mariyappan, who was the gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, only slightly missed out on the top prize. His best jump of 1.86 meters was good enough, however, for a prestigious silver medal. Sharad also had an exceptional performance at the event as his jump of 1.83 meters won the bronze medal for India. Varun Singh Bhati was also one of the para-athletes participating in the competition. He, however, could only record a jump of 1.77 meters which meant that he finished in seventh place.
At one point, it seemed like all of the top three athletes would not be able to breach the 1.86-meter mark. It was the stage of the competition where Sharad was eliminated, albeit with a confirmed bronze medal. Both Mariyappan and Grewe were able to breach the mark at their third and final attempts. With only contestants remaining, the focus shifted to the battle for the gold medal between Grewe and Mariyappan.
Both athletes disturbed the bar set at 1.88 meters in their first two attempts. However, the third time was the charm for the American as he rose over the bar and confirmed the gold medal. Mariyappan, unfortunately, failed to do the same but he can be very proud of his achievement. He had won the gold medal five years ago at Rio, and this time he will be returning home with a silver medal after what was an exceptional effort.
This particular men’s high jump competition was classified as a T63 event. Athletes with a single through knee or above knee limb deficiency competing with a prosthesis where minimum impairment criteria for lower limb deficiency are met are the ones who can compete under this category as per the rules set by the Paralympics committee.
Mariyappan, 25, hails from the Salem district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. He had suffered a permanent disability at the age of five when a bus crushed his right leg below the knee. The 25-year-old had to work as a newspaper hawker to support his family and sustain his sporting dreams when he started his career. After his gold medal success in Rio five years ago, the para-athlete received a lot of praise and recognition. He was one of the favourites to bag a medal this time around as well, and he did not disappoint. Mariyappan was also conferred with the Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting award, last year.
Sharad Kumar, who won the bronze medal in the same event, recorded a new season-best performance with his 1.83-meter jump in the medal match. He might not have been able to win the gold but a bronze medal at the Paralympics is no small achievement either. Kumar was born in Patna, in the eastern state of Bihar, and he had suffered paralysis in his right leg when he was two after taking spurious polio medicine at a local eradication drive.
