Sunder Singh Gurjar is an Indian para-athlete in the javelin throw, shot put and discus throw categories. He came into limelight when he won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with a throw of 64.1 meters in his fifth attempt. He is also the world record holder of 68.42 meters at the 16th Paralympic National Championships held at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula (Haryana) on 26 March 2016. Unfortunately, this throw was not sanctioned as the event was not recognized by the world body.
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Wiki/Biography
Sunder Singh Gurjar was born on Monday, 1 January 1996 (age 25 years as in 2021) in Hindaun village in Karauli district of Rajasthan. Their zodiac sign is Capricorn.
Surjar Singh Gurjar in childhood
In 2012, he moved to Jaipur and stayed in a sports hostel, where he trained under coach Mahavir Prasad Saini.
Sundar Singh Gurjar with his coach Mahavir Prasad Saini
Early in his training, he chose wrestling as his sport as both his father and elder brother were into the sport. He was even seen in a wrestling competition. Seeing his slim body, his coach encouraged him to take up athletics. He soon started playing in junior level competitions.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx): 6′
Hair Color: Natural Black
Eye colour: brown
Family
Guardian
Sunder Singh belongs to a Hindu Gurjar family. His father is a farmer.
Sundar Singh Gurjar’s father
His mother’s name is Kaliya Devi and she is a housewife.
Kalia Devi, mother of Sundar Singh Gurjar
damage to left hand
Till 2015, everything was going well, and suddenly, when he was working with metal sheets in his friend’s house, life took a drastic change. A heavy metal sheet fell on the wrist of his left hand, resulting in permanent disfigurement. Traumatized by this incident, he went into depression and thought he would never be able to chase the Javelin again. Recalling that time he said that
I thought this was the end of my career. Then I met RD Singh and within a month I was back in training.
Sunder Singh Gurjar protesting after the accident
livelihood
Soon, a few months after the accident he joined the training center in Hanumangarh (Rajasthan) where he met the director of the institute and Dronacharya Award recipient Shri RD Singh. After that he participated in many junior level national competitions and became successful. In 2016, she got her first international assignment at the 8th Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai. He achieved a score of 59.36 meters in the javelin throw competition with his partner Rishi Kant Sharma.
Sundar Singh Gurjar after winning a medal at the 8th Dubai Grand Prix held in Dubai in March 2016
Initially, there were 24 Indian contingents for the event, but their entry was denied by IPC Para Athletics officials. This is because the Sports Authority of India (SAI) was unable to forward their entries on time. In the end, only 11 contingents could participate and the rest were sent home despite spending Rs 80,000 from their purse.
Sandeep Pradhan is the chairman of Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Sundar Singh soon secured a place in the 2016 Rio Paralympics by securing an ‘A’ grade score. Virendra Singh (discus throw and shot put) was in the other team. To qualify for direct entry into this competition, the candidate must be in the top-5 rank as of April 2016. The remaining entries are for ‘A’ and ‘B’ qualified athletes. Dronacharya Award winner and owner of a training center in Rajasthan, RD Singh praised Sundar Singh and said that
“If everything goes well, you will see Sundar winning an Olympic medal. His throw was excellent and he could have easily added a few meters by the time of Rio. Till last November, Sundar was competing in the general category and had won the junior national gold medal. But he lost his left hand in an accident.
But the 2016 Rio Paralympics (Brazil) did not go at all well for the youngster even though he was considered one of the top contenders for the event as he could not hear his name when called during the registration process. He missed it by just 52 seconds. Later in an interview he expressed his emotions by saying
“Something changed in life as a result of a slight misunderstanding. I was never told about the exact time and I did not understand when my name was announced. The world knows that I was the best javelin thrower and was the best in my category for the last few months. I do not understand English nor can I read or speak the language. That incompetence broke me mentally. This was followed by a long period of depression, I did nothing for six months. I didn’t want to touch the spear again. But my coach Mahabir Prasad Saini took me for counseling and arranged for sessions with motivational speakers. the rest is history.”
In the next season at the Fazza IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai in March 2017, he proved his talent by scoring 60.33 meters in the javelin throw event. He scored 44.56 meters in the discus throw and performed brilliantly in the shot put event. He ended his campaign successfully with three gold medals. Continuing his winning streak, he won the gold medal in the javelin throw category at the eighth edition of the World Para Athletics Championships held in July 2017 with his personal best score of 60.36 metres, thus becoming the second Indian to win after Devendra Jhajharia. became. Gold medal in the history of World Para-Athletic Championships. The event was held at the London Stadium in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The venue also hosted the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Later another notable day in his life came during the Para-Asian Games held in Jakarta (Indonesia) in October 2018 when he won the silver medal in the javelin throw event by scoring 61.33m along with his counterpart Sundar Singh who won the bronze medal. Scored 47.10 meters in discus throw. A total of 302 Indian contingents took part in the event, with Mariyappan Thangavelu (flag bearer) leading the march at its inaugural ceremony.
Sunder Singh Gurjar during the opening ceremony of Asian Games 2018
In 2019, he suffered a serious shoulder injury during training, which resulted in him being ruled out of the game for a few months, but he did not let it affect his rhythm and in 2019 he won the gold medal with a best score of 61.22m. Won. In the World Para Athletics Championships in the javelin throw category. He left Dinesh P Herath Mudiyanselage of Sri Lanka behind.
Sundar Singh Gurjar after victory in World Para Athletics Championship 2019
But the real joy of success came when it was announced that she had qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics along with her teammates Rinku Hooda and Ajit Singh. During an interview he expressed his happiness by saying
“I am very happy. It was a relief. I have come to this championship without any training for the last one month. I got injured during training and so today I had to pat my shoulder. When I was training, I Felt pain. But in the final I was lucky, I didn’t feel it. I felt that my body had got a good rest. It was a blessing in disguise. In my last attempt, I knew I had got it. But never realized that it would be my best performance of the season. This one It was a good jump. It will motivate me to go for a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
He also earned a rare distinction by becoming the second Indian to win two World Championship medals in the para-sport category. Devendra Jhajharia was the first man to win a gold and silver medal at the 2013 Lyon and 2015 Doha championship events. When the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the country’s population of more than one million, he again had to stay out of the game for almost three months. He did not want to lose his rhythm so one day he appeared before Rajasthan Sports Minister Ashok Chandna and requested him to open Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur) for him so that he could continue his practice. The Sports Minister approved his request.
Sundar Singh Gurjar with Sports Minister of Rajasthan
Recalling that period, he said that
“I didn’t want to sit at home and wait for things to happen. So, I requested our minister and he allowed me to use the hostel. It was not easy as the entire country was in lockdown, but Mr. Chandana came forward to help me.
He also revealed how his regular practice during the lockdown has honed his game and prepared him for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He further said that
“I am throwing beyond 68 meters now. This is something that has boosted my confidence for the Tokyo Games, because 63.97m is a world record. But I’m not taking anything for granted. “This is the best thing that happened before Tokyo.”
Since the Tokyo Paralympics could not be held in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, it was moved to August 2021. Apart from him there were 53 other para-athletes so it was a tough competition for him. The event also features archery, badminton, taekwondo, shooting, swimming, para-canoeing and table tennis games. Badminton and Taekwondo were included for the first time in this Paralympic event.
Indian team posing before Tokyo Paralympics 2020
He is one of the major contenders for a medal in javelin throw in this mega event. He had a slow start but eventually scored 64.01 meters in his fifth attempt and won the bronze medal for the country. His counterpart Devendra Jhajharia won the gold medal, taking India’s medal tally to 19, its highest ever in Paralympic events.
Sundar Singh Gurjar’s friends gather outside his house after winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics
He received a warm welcome from his family members and supporters at the Delhi airport. He gave credit for his success to his coach Mahavir Prasad Saini.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
He has been honored with several awards during his career, including the prestigious Arjuna Award from the Government of India in 2019. He is also the recipient of the Sportsman of the Game award at the 2016 National Championships in Gurgaon, India for the Disabled. Athlete of the Year in the year 2017 by ESPN India.
Sundar Singh Gurjar honored with Arjuna Award by National Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju in 2019
Facts/General Knowledge
- He is a player of F46 class category. F46 is a specialization for disabled players suffering from arm deficiency or lack of movement of the arm ligaments.
- He was not good in studies since childhood. When he was in eighth grade, he told his PT teacher that he wanted to take up sports as his career. He was greatly inspired by players like wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh. Then his teacher advised him to go for sports trials. Following the advice, he gave the trial and got selected.
- He was a student who rarely skipped his classes to practice sports and was often caught by his parents.
- After his medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he thanked everyone who supported him on television. He also said
“I am extremely excited to win a medal in Tokyo. I was disqualified in Rio 2016, now I have won a bronze medal.
- He is always regular in his training and despite facing bad days, he has never missed a single session.
- Presently he is working as Assistant Conservator in the Forest Department.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn