How Sundar Singh Gurjar missed out on a medal chance at 2016 Rio Paralympic Games
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Sundar Singh Gurjar
On the fifth day of the track and field events at the Rio Paralympics, the javelin throw F46 event was set to begin. All eyes were searching for India’s Sundar Singh Gurjar, one of the favourites to win, but he was nowhere to be seen. As athletes’ names were announced for them to get ready for their throws, the ace Indian athlete was missing only to run in fifty-two seconds later.
Sundar was 52 seconds too late as it had taken him a while to understand the announcer’s accent, he said. And that was how the 21-year-old’s maiden Paralympics came to an end, not with a medal but with impending depression. Devendra Jhajharia‘s world record-breaking effort to win the gold meant India didn’t miss the young athlete whose horrific Paralympics debut went under the radar.
Sundar Singh Gurjar bounces back in style
With his four-year dream shattered in seconds, Sundar Singh Gurjar was devastated and slipped into depression. With proper medical support and with friends and family rallying behind him, Gurjar overcame the dark period and was right on the money the very next year. He came roaring back to win back to gold medals at the World Para Athletics Championships.
The first came in the 2017 World Championships as he mustered a 60.36m throw, his personal best. Gurjar went on to win a silver medal in the men’s F46 of the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia before clinching another gold at the Worlds the same year. His sixth attempt saw him clear a distance of 61.22m for gold and also seal a berth at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
“A medal in Tokyo will be an ultimate achievement,” Sundar Singh Gurjar
Gurjar used to compete in the general category until 2015, but after a freak accident that led to the amputation of the wrist of the left hand. He now competes in the F46 javelin throw category. The two time World Champion smashed the national record at the 16th Senior National Para Athletic Championship with a 68.42m throw.
The 2019 World Championships was the last competition he featured in. Gurjar shares that during the lockdown, he has made progress and will be looking to emulate it in Tokyo. “During this lockdown, my throw has improved,” Gurjar was quoted by World Para Athletics. “I am now throwing beyond 68 metres. This is something that has boosted my confidence for the Tokyo Games as 63.97 metres is a world record. But I’m not taking anything lightly.“
“This is the best thing that has happened before Tokyo,” he continued. “True, I am disappointed because the Games have been postponed. But I am fully ready for it. I worked hard to reach here and if I can win a medal in Tokyo 2020, it will be an ultimate achievement for me. Be rest assured, I will be giving my best to win it for my country.”
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Anshuman Mahapatra
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