Sumit Antil is an Indian Paralympian athlete and javelin thrower who is best known for winning the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He threw the javelin to a distance of 68.55 meters in the final and broke the world record and his personal record thrice.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sumit Antil was born on Monday, 6 July 1998 (age 23 years; as in 2021), in Khewra, Sonipat, Haryana. His zodiac sign is Gemini. After completing his schooling, Sumit joined Ramjas College, Delhi to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree. During his school days, he wanted to pursue a career in the field of wrestling; However, he had to give up this dream after he lost one of his legs in an accident at the age of seventeen. When he was returning from tuition, he met with an accident and was hit by a tractor-trolley laden with cement. Sumit was immediately taken to the military hospital where he was operated on and doctors had to amputate his leg. After two months of bed rest, Sumit went to the Artificial Limb Center in Pune to get an artificial leg fitted.
Physical Appearance
Height: 6′ 2″
Eye colour: black
Hair Color: Black
Family
His late father, Ram Kumar Antil, was an Indian Air Force officer, and his mother, Nirmala Devi, is a housewife. He is the youngest of four siblings and has three elder sisters – Kiran, Sushila and Renu Antil.
Sumit Antil’s mother, Nirmala Devi
Sumit Antil with his sisters
livelihood
Sumit Antil was in high school when he thought about pursuing a career in wrestling, but he met with an accident in 2015 after which he had to change his strategy for his future. In 2017, a para-athlete from his village introduced him to para-athletics. Sumit was introduced to coach Naval Singh in Delhi, who convinced Sumit to take up javelin throw as his sport. After the injury, Sumit did not do any kind of exercise for a long time. So, he started working on his strength training and stamina building. Despite the problems he faced, Sumit kept working hard to improve his performance and results started coming. He finished second at the Indian Open National Para-Athletics Championships 2019 in Bengaluru. In his international debut, he finished fifth during the Asian Para Games in Jakarta in 2018.
Sumit Antil with the scoreboard after setting a world record at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
medal
- Silver Medal at the World Para Athletics Championships, Dubai in 2019
- Silver Medal at Paris Open Handisport 2019
- Silver Medal at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, Italy in 2019
- Gold Medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Tokyo in 2021
- Gold Medal at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, Paris
- Gold medal at the 2023 Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou, China
award
- 2021: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
- 2022: Padma Bhushan (sports)
Favorite
- Wrestler: Yogeshwar Dutt
Facts/General Knowledge
- Sumit Antil was seven years old when his father died due to prolonged illness. After this his mother raised him and his elder sisters.
- Initially, Sumit faced a lot of problems in his workout routine because due to extreme heat, the liner of his artificial leg would get filled with blood and sweat. However, Sumit continued practicing and improved his performance in the game. In an interview Naval Singh said-
When I saw Sumit for the first time, I had to inspire him a lot. He wanted to become a wrestler, but that career path was not possible at that time. Sumit has good physique. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall and had a good body. I knew that if I worked on it he could do wonders. I managed to convince him to take up javelin throwing and he started training under me.
- After some time, Sumit started performing well in many national and international games and started winning medals for his team. She won her first silver medal during the World Para Athletics Championships held in Dubai in 2019. He broke his personal record for the distance by throwing the javelin to a distance of 62.88 metres.
Sumit Antil during the qualifying round for Paralympics
- He improved his performance with time and after watching him, GoSports Foundation decided to include Sumit in its Para Champions Program in 2019 to support him financially.
- Naval Singh was working with Sumit and he was confident that Sumit would bring a gold medal for the country in the Paralympics and he did just that. In an interview Naval said-
I have never seen such a dedicated player. She is very determined. I am sure he will win a gold medal in the Paralympics.”
- While Sumit Antil won the gold medal in javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Yogesh Kathuniya won the silver medal in the discus throw competition. Haryana Government decided to give a cash reward of Rs. 6 crores to Sumit Antil and Rs. Yogesh Kathunia got Rs 4 crore. He received cash prizes as well as government job offers.
#TokyoParalympics , Haryana government will honor gold medalist javelin thrower Sumit Antil with a cash reward of Rs 6 crore and silver medalist discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya with a cash reward of Rs 4 crore.
Haryana government also offers government jobs to Sumit Antil and Yogesh Kathunia.
– ANI (@ANI) 30 August 2021
- Sumit set a world record in javelin throw with a distance of 68.55 metres, but said he has performed better during his practice sessions. In an interview given to India Today, Sumit said-
It’s like a dream come true. I can’t express my feelings right now. This is my first Paralympics and I was a little nervous because the competitors are very good. I was hoping to throw more than 70 metres, maybe even 75 metres. It was not my best, I am very happy to break the world record.”
- Many politicians, actors and fellow athletes came forward to congratulate Sumit Antil on winning the gold medal for the country in the Paralympics. Indian athletes like Olympic medalist Abhinav Bindra, 2016 Summer Paralympics silver medalist Deepa Malik and 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra praised Sumit’s performance during the Games and wished him all the best for his future.
Dangerous performance brother Sumit 👍👍Proud of you 🇮🇳 https://t.co/CNUDDtPAc7
-Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_Chopra1) 30 August 2021
- As soon as the news of his victory at the Paralympics broke on news channels, Sumit received a call from Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi congratulated her on winning the gold medal and later he posted a tweet praising her on his Twitter account.
Our athletes continue to shine #paralympics, The country is proud of Sumit Antil’s record-breaking performance in the Paralympics. Congratulations to Sumit for winning the coveted gold medal. Best wishes to all of you for the future.
-Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 30 August 2021
- Sumit participated in the 2023 Asian Para Games where he won the gold medal in men’s T-64 javelin throw. He broke the world record with a throw of 73.29 metres. He had earlier made this world record with a throw of 70.83 meters at the World Para Athletics Championships in July 2023.
Sumit Antil with others on the stage after winning gold medal at the 2023 Asian Para Games
Sumit Antil after winning gold medal at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn