Asian Para Games: Javelin strongman Sumit Antil keeps raising the bar

• Sumit Antil wins javelin gold at Asian Para Games with a throw of 72.46 m, leading an Indian podium sweep.

• Mahendra Gurjar and Sandip Sargar take silver and bronze, both setting Games records in their respective categories.

• The reigning Paralympic champion, who overcame the loss of his left leg in an accident, now has his sights set on a 75 m throw.

Sumit Antil, the golden boy of Indian para athletics, is a perfect example of someone who has been there and done it all. A back-to-back world and Paralympic champion, the powerhouse of Indian javelin has little left to prove. Yet, there was no let-up in his efforts to keep the Indian flag flying as he clinched another gold at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

What made the men’s javelin event even more memorable was that the 28-year-old led an Indian podium sweep, with Mahendra Gurjar winning silver and Sandip Sanjay Sargar taking bronze in their respective disability categories. Sumit, who competes in the F64 category, registered a best throw of 72.46 metres — short of the world record of 73.29m he set in Hangzhou three years ago.

Mahendra (F42) set a new Games record with a throw of 59.03m in his category, while Sandip (F44) also established a Games record with 64.48m. The event combines athletes from different disability categories, with RAZA points used to account for differences between classifications.

On the penultimate day of competition, India matched their gold medal haul of 28 from the previous edition and consolidated their fourth position in the medals tally, with 106 medals at the time of writing. China, Japan and Uzbekistan occupied the top three positions, in that order.

There are no prizes for guessing whom Sumit looks up to for inspiration. It is Neeraj Chopra, the man who has sparked a javelin revolution in India. After winning his second successive Paralympic gold in Paris, Sumit recalled the words of wisdom from India’s first and only Olympic gold medallist in athletics.

“Neeraj bhai had told me not to do anything different,” Sumit had said.

After striking gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Sumit set a world record at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in 2023. He went on to win world titles and retained his Paralympic crown in Paris in 2024. His determination to keep raising the bar saw him break his own world record four times, culminating in the record-breaking throw of 73.29m at Hangzhou in 2023. It remains the longest throw in para athletics across all categories, although Sumit now has his sights set on breaching the 75m mark sooner rather than later.

As a teenager growing up in Haryana, Sumit took to wrestling, like many youngsters of his background. His life changed cruelly when he lost his left leg in an accident while returning home from a coaching class. His father, who served in the Air Force, arranged for his treatment at the Army Hospital, where Sumit was fitted with a prosthetic leg.

Initially struggling to adjust to it and occasionally battling depression, Sumit found a new purpose after meeting Rajkumar, a para-athlete from his village who introduced him to the world of para sports. Despite enduring severe pain and hardship, Sumit persevered with the support of his family and friends and proved to be a quick learner.

The rest, as they say, is history.