New Delhi, Oct 1 Yogesh Kathuniya has changed his life philosophy, and he believes it is slowly going to change his fortunes. The F56 discus thrower won the sixth medal for India at the ongoing 2025 World Para Athletics Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi when he threw the iron disc a distance of 42.49 for silver in his second attempt.
In the past, Yogesh has been known to be over-optimistic. In the lead-up to an important event, whenever you asked him what his prospects were. Invariably, he would speak of gold, nothing less. But the gold never came. In the last two Paralympics, in Paris and Tokyo, as well as the world championships, he had to settle for silver, which wasn’t in line with his words in the lead-up, if truth be told.
On Tuesday, he won another silver, but this time, he had not promised anything. “I have stopped saying I am going to win gold. Paris was a big disappointment. And I believe this change in approach is going to stand me in good stead eventually,” Yogesh, proudly draped in the tricolour, said after his silver.
“Every athlete works hard; you have to be lucky too,” he added. The 28-year-old was particularly happy to win on his home turf and in front of his family and supporters. “Because I have won here, it makes my medal very special. Very happy to have performed in front of my family. They have always been very supportive. As I said before, because I have stopped saying I am going to win gold, there was no pressure on me. I really enjoyed my outing,” he said.
Yogesh also revealed he could have done better if not for some strict belt-tightening. “Officials were a bit strict. The belt was tightened a bit too much, which hampers movement and always brings down the distance by at least 3-4 metres,” he said.
Yogesh is now eyeing the Asian Para Games scheduled to be held in Japan next year. “That’s my next target now. I am tired of playing up my chances now. Enough of saying things. Now’s the time for action. Time for results. I believe in process now, and if that’s taken care of, results will follow,” he said.
The championship kicked off this past Saturday in plenty of heat and humidity. However, as the discus throw event got over, it got extremely cloudy, windy, and before long, it started to rain. “I wish the weather had improved a little earlier. I could use some wind,” the 28-year-old said in a light-hearted way.
Finally, Yogesh spoke of how the para sports and para-athletes have come a long way in India. “Not long ago, there was not much going on in the way of financial assistance and future prospects. All that has changed. Sponsors are easy to find to support the athlete. The future is really great. But more than that, para-athletes need empathy and not sympathy, and I am happy to say it’s all changing,” he concluded.
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