Sumit Antil and Pranav Soorma (ANI/PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI: India enjoyed a golden double in para-athletics at the Asian Para Games on Friday, with star javelin thrower Sumit Antil leading a podium sweep and Pranav Soorma defending his title in the men's club throw F51 event.Antil successfully defended his gold in the men's javelin throw F42-44/61-64 combined event, while Mahendra Gurjar and Sandip Sanjay Sargar completed an all-Indian podium finish. Soorma, meanwhile, added another gold to his collection with a Games-record performance in the club throw.The results added to India's medal haul as the country's para-athletes continued to deliver strong performances in Aichi-Nagoya.
Sumit Antil leads India's javelin sweep
The 28-year-old Antil, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder, produced a best throw of 72.46m in his second attempt to claim gold.Although he could not surpass his personal best, Antil was comfortably ahead of the field while competing in the F64 classification. He had won gold at the 2023 Asian Para Games with a then-world-record throw of 73.29m before improving the mark to 74.82m in May this year.
Gurjar secured silver with a throw of 59.03m, while Sargar took bronze with an effort of 64.48m.Despite Sargar recording the longer distance, Gurjar finished ahead because of his superior Raza points score, which is used to determine rankings in combined events involving athletes from different classifications.The F42, F44, F62 and F64 categories are combined in certain field events, including javelin and discus throw, to create a larger and more competitive field.
The classifications cover athletes with lower-limb impairments, with some competing without prostheses and others using them.
Pranav Soorma defends club throw crown
Soorma continued India's gold rush by successfully defending his men's club throw F51 title with a Games-record effort of 32.87m.
The Indian had won gold in the same event at the previous edition of the Asian Para Games and claimed silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.South Korea's Jiwon Jung took silver with a personal-best throw of 28.40m, while Dharamvir secured bronze with 27.71m to give India another double podium finish.The F51 classification is for athletes with significant movement limitations affecting the trunk, legs and hands, with varying degrees of impairment in arm movement. Competitors perform their throws from a seated position.With Antil leading a historic Indian sweep in the javelin and Soorma retaining his title, India's para-athletes delivered another memorable day in Aichi-Nagoya.