Paris [France], September 4 : Indian Paralympics gold medallist in the F64 javelin throw at ongoing Paris Paralympics, para-athlete Sumit Antil said on Wednesday that breaking the Paralympics record was an "icing on the cake" for him and recalled an incident that proved to play a small role in the medal win.
The Tokyo Paralympics gold medal defender reigned supreme in the final and broke the Paralympic record throw twice to claim his stake at the top of the podium on Monday.
He kicked off the proceedings with a throw of 69.11m and broke his own Paralympic Record of 68.55m that he set in Tokyo. In his second throw, he bettered his Paralympic record by sending his javelin to a record-breaking distance of 70.59m, rewriting the record book yet again.
Speaking about his medal win to ANI, Sumit said, "I am feeling very proud to have won the gold medal for the second time. The Paralympic record is an icing on the cake. I have lived the same dream twice. It is the best feeling to have won the gold. You feel at the top of the world."
Sumit revealed that the night before the medal match, he along with other athletes were hanging out outside and having food, not able to sleep due to pressure and excitement leading upto the big match.
"We were having food and were chilling outside. I knew we would not be able to sleep. It is very normal since you face competition pressure. Jhajaria sir (Paralympic Committee of India president Devendra Jhajaria) was watching us from above. He was able to understand what we were going through and came down to motivate us, it was good," said Sumit.
The javelin thrower admitted that he could have done better and expressed happiness to have talked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his medal win. "We were aiming for 74-75 metres, but happy to get a gold. The PM spoke to us yesterday, and I told him that it is very motivating the way he speaks to the athletes. I am thankful to the government and the PM for supporting the athletes so much," said Sumit.
The Indian contingent has added 21 medals to its growing tally (three gold, eight silver and ten bronze) and will have an opportunity to further extend its record medal haul in a single edition of the Paralympics.
In the Tokyo edition (August 24 - September 5, 2021), India recorded its best-ever medal haul with a tally of 19, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze medals.
Para-athlete Sachin Khilari on Wednesday clinched the silver medal in the men's shot put F46 final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics. Sachin secured the second spot with a 16.32-metre throw, which is also the area best (AB). However, the Indian athlete was unlucky to miss the top spot after getting short of 0.6m.
On Monday and Tuesday, the Indian contingent won 13 medals for the country, jumping the medal tally to a record 20 consisting of three gold, seven silver, and 10 bronze medals.
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