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Sumit Antil successfully defended his Paralympic gold medal in the F64 men's javelin event by setting a new Games record with a throw of 70.59 meters in Paris on Monday.
Antil, who held the previous record as well, surpassed it on his second attempt. Speaking about his performance he said, "I was hoping to break the world record, but it’s good to have got the Paralympic record,"
The javelin star also revealed that he won the medal after battling with injuries. He said, "My back pain hasn't fully healed yet. I felt it during the last two training sessions, and today I had to take painkillers before throwing. I've been managing this injury while competing."
He added, "I didn’t have enough time to fully recover. I need rest, and we’ll address the injury once I'm back in India,".
Timeline of Sumit Antil's gold medal effort
Sumit Antil started the event with a new Paralympic record of 69.11m in his first attempt, eclipsing his own previous record of 68.55m. It comfortably placed him at the top of the standings.
Sumit Antil then bettered it with the eventual winner of 70.59m on his second attempt, making it yet another record. His fifth attempt landed at 69.04m, again better than the Tokyo 2020 mark.
The 26-year-old holds the world record in his event with a throw of 73.29 meters.
Sumit Antil joins elite club
With this victory, Antil becomes the first Indian man and only the second Indian athlete to defend a Paralympic title, following Avani Lekhara's similar achievement at Paris 2024.
Lekhara had earlier won gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, repeating her success from the Tokyo Games.
Antil now joins an exclusive group of Indian Paralympians who have won two gold medals, alongside Lekhara and Devendra Jhajharia, who claimed javelin gold in the F46 category at both the 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Games.
