Paris 2024 Paralympics: Dharambir wins gold with new Asian Record in men’s club throw F51, Pranav clinches silver
Dharambir set a new Asian Record on his way to gold medal while Pranav Soorma clinched silver to make it an Indian one-two in men’s club throw F51 event at Paris Paralympics 2024 on Wednesday.
Dharambir, the 2022 Asian Games silver medallist, had four fouls before he finally managed to execute what turned out to be the gold medal-winning throw of 34.92m on his fifth attempt. His final throw was 31.59m. He had previously competed at the Paralympics in 2016 and 2020, finishing ninth and eighth respectively.
The 35-year-old Dharambir hails from Sonipat in Haryana. In a diving incident in 2012, he crashed into the underlying rocks of the water body and as a consequence, suffered paralysis below the waist. He took up the sport in 2014 under the guidance of Amit Kumar Saroha.
Hangzhou Asian Games gold medallist Pranav’s best throw of 34.59m came on his opening attempt. Apart from a foul, his remaining four throws were 34.19m, 34.50m, 33.90m and 33.70m.
Pranav became quadriplegic at the age of 16 when the roof of his house fell on him in 2011. The 29-year-old, who hails from Faridabad in Haryana, is a banker by profession.
Amit Kumar Saroha, the third Indian in the fray, could only produce a best throw of 23.96m and finished last amongst the 10 participants. The 39-year-old Amit made his Paralympic debut in London in 2012 in men’s discus throw F51 event before representing the country in men’s club throw F51 in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and in 2021 in Tokyo.
Amit Kumar Saroha was a national-level hockey player before a car accident at the age of 22 made him quadriplegic due to compression of the spinal cord. He is a two-time world championships silver medallist and also has five Asian Games medals, including two golds.
Reigning world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Zeljko Dimitrijevic took the bronze medal with a throw of 34.18m.
Club throw is an event where the objective is to throw a wooden club as far as possible. It is the para equivalent of the hammer throw in which participants rely on the shoulders and arms to generate the power required for the throw.
India has won 24 medals – five gold, nine silver and 10 bronze – at the ongoing edition of the Paralympic Games.