Tokyo Paralympics gold medalist Indian javelin thrower Sumit Antil wants to improve upon his world record in his bid to defend his title in the Men's F64 category at the Paris Paralympics Games.
Sumit, along with Bhagyashree Jadhav (shot put, F34 category) will be Indian flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics Games to be held from August 28 to September 8, 2024.
He had set a world record thrice in the Tokyo Paralympics and won the gold medal with the best throw of 68.55 metres.
He bettered it with a new world record throw of 70.83 meters at the 2023 Para World Championships and further improved it at the Hangzhou Para Asian Games (2023) to win the gold with an effort of 73.29 metres.
F64 category deals with problems in Lower limb/s. Athlete competing with prosthesis affected by limb deficiency and leg length difference
"My long-term goal is to achieve a distance of 80 meters but in the Paris Paralympics, I will try to win the gold medal with a effort of 75 meters," the 26-year-old told PTI-Bhasha in an exclusive interview.
The athlete, who lost one of his limb in a road accident in 2015, won the gold medal at the Para World Championship in May this year with an effort of 69.50 metres.
Sumit said: "My throws during practice have been quite consistent. I have worked hard on increasing strength without changing my technique. I will try to improve my previous record."
When asked about the pressure of being defending champion and being the Indian flag bearer, he said, "There is no pressure right now but things will be known after reaching Paris. Once you reach the Games village or at competition venue, things become a little different. I will try to do my best without taking pressure."
"I want to enjoy this moment. For the first time, such a large and strong contingent from India is going to the Paralympics and I feel proud to be the flag bearer," he added.
The Indian contingent comprises 84 athletes across 12 disciplines for the Paralympics .
This Padma Shri awardee said, "Being a flag bearer in an event like Paralympics is a different kind of emotion. This is the first time I will be a part of the opening ceremony of the Paralympics.
"At the time of the Tokyo Paralympics, there were a lot of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I reached late there according to the schedule of my competition."
Sumit said that after the Tokyo Paralympics, he focused more on practicing instead of participating in different competitions.
He said, "I have participated in very limited competitions. I have spent more time in practice. Competitions keep going on but my aim is to get a medal for India in the Paralympics and my entire focus has been on this for the last three years."
He said, "I prefer to practice in India only rather than abroad. I went to Finland in 2018 but I did not feel much improvement there. I practice at SAI (Sports Authority of India) Sonipat centre, which is equipped with a track for Javelin throw and world-class facilities."
When Sumit was asked whether he too was a little disappointed with Neeraj Chopra's silver medal in the Olympics, he said, "Neeraj Bhai performed very well. It would be wrong to say that we were heartbroken by his effort. A lot depends on the day at this level of competition. It wasn't our day in Tokyo. It was Arshad Nadeem's ( Gold medal winner) day in Paris."
He said, “I am very happy with Neeraj's performance. It is difficult to deliver your season's best performance under pressure on a stage like the Olympics. I think once he crosses the 90m mark, we will have a lot of gold medals."
Sumit said that he has been a part of Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) since 2019 and he is getting all kinds of help from it.
“I have been a part of the TOPS scheme since 2019 and since that time I have been getting prosthetic legs from abroad. Along with my prosthetics, TOPS provides everything I need for my game," he concluded.
