Thangavelu strikes gold, two Indians on podium in Rio

Rio de Janeiro, Mariyappan Thangavelu became only the third Indian ever to clinch a Paralympic gold while Varun Bhati secured a bronze as the duo scripted history for the country in the men’s T42 high jump event at the Paralympic Games here.
The 21-year-old Thangavelu, who was five years old when his right leg was crushed by a speeding bus while he was on his way to school, joined Murlikant Petkar (1972, swimming) and Devendra Jhajharia (2004, javelin throw) in India’s Paralympics gold club.
Thangavelu won gold with his best jump of 1.89m, ahead of world champion Sam Grewe of USA, who registered 1.86m. Bhati’s best effort was also 1.86m but he had to settle for the bronze medal on count-back. This is the first time that two Indians have finished on the podium in the same event at any Paralympic Games.
In the same event, there was disappointment for another Indian athlete, Sharad Kumar. Kumar had led the pack at one stage after clearing 1.55m and 1.60m but his best jump was only 1.77m, which placed him at the sixth position overall.
The event witnessed intense competition as six out of the 12 para athletes cleared the 1.74m mark in their first eight attempts. In his 10th attempt, Thangavelu jumped 1.77m successfully, along with three others — Poland’s Lukasz Mamczarz, China’s Zhiqiang Zhing and India’s Kumar.
Bhati sets the tone
In the later stages, with the contest being reduced to only three competitors, Bhati set the tone with a jump of 1.83m, and Thangavelu equalled it. However, just when it seemed that India would win gold and silver, Grewe American cleared 1.86m to grab the top spot. However, the two Indians also equalled this mark to make it a three-way tie. Eventually, in a thrilling finale, Thangavelu grabbed the top honours by finishing with a jump of 1.89m.
In the javelin throw event (F-42), Sandeep (54.30m) and Narender Ranbir (53.79m) finished fourth and sixth, respectively, with their personal best efforts. Para archer Pooja finished 29th with a total of 513 points in the recurve archery.