Asian Para Games: Sumit Antil leads India’s javelin 1-2-3 as Pranav Soorma regains gold

Sumit Antil and Pranav Soorma (Photo by ANI/PTI) NEW DELHI: India enjoyed a golden double in para athletics at the Asian Para Games on Friday as star javelin thrower Sumit Antil led the podium and Pranav Soorma defended his F51 men’s club throw title.Antill successfully defended their men’s javelin gold F42-44/61-64 combined, while Mahendra Gurjar and Sandip Sanjay Sargar completed the all-Indian podium finish. Meanwhile, Soorma added another gold to his collection with the games record in the club throw.The results added to India’s medal tally as the country’s para-athletes continued to put in strong performances in Aichi-Nagoya.

Sumit Antil leads India’s javelin

The 28-year-old Antil, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and world record holder, had a best throw of 72.46m in his second attempt at gold.Although unable to break his personal best, Antil was comfortably ahead of the field when competing in the F64 classification. He won gold at the 2023 Asian Para Games with a then world record throw of 73.29m before bettering the mark to 74.82m this May.Gurjar secured the silver with a throw of 59.03m while Sargar took the bronze with a performance of 64.48m.Despite Sargar recording a longer distance, Gurjar finished ahead due to his superior Raza point score, which is used to determine the ranking 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, to create a larger and more competitive field. The classification includes athletes with lower limb disabilities, with some competing without prostheses and others using them.

Pranav Soorma defends the crown club throw

Soorma continued India’s gold rush by successfully defending the men’s club F51 title with a record effort of 32.87m.The Indian had won gold in the same event at the previous Asian Para Games and won silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.South Korea’s Jiwon Jung won silver with a personal best throw of 28.40m while Dharamvir secured bronze with 27.71m to give India another double podium finish.Classification F51 is for athletes with a significant limitation of movement affecting the trunk, legs and arms, with varying degrees of impairment of arm movement. Competitors perform throws from a seated position.With Antil leading India’s historic javelin sweep and Soorma retaining his title, India’s para-athletes produced another memorable day in Aichi-Nagoya.