Paris Paralympics 2024: Yogesh Kathuniya bags silver medal in men's discus throw F-56 event

Yogesh Kathuniya (Pic: X/@PemaKhanduBJP)

Yogesh Kathuniya earned India another bronze medal at the ongoing Paris Paralympics 2024 in the men's discus throw F-56. India's medal tally at the Paris Paralympics 2024 has increased to eight which includes one gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

The 27-year-old Yogesh made a solid effort to add another medal to India's tally at the Paris Paralympics 2024. The Indian clinched the medal in the very first attempt. Previously, even in the Tokyo Para Games, he bagged a silver medal.

The gold medal was won by Brazil's Claudiney Batista dos Santos. This was his third time winning a gold medal at the Paralympics. The Brazilian created a new record with a stunning effort of 46.86 in his fifth attempt.

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Greece's Konstantinos Tzounis won the bronze with 41.32m. The F-56 classification covers limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power and impaired range of movement.

At the age of 9, Kathuniya developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune condition which causes numbness, tingling and muscle weakness that can progress to paralysis.

He was bound to a wheelchair during his childhood but overcame the odds with the help of his mother Meena Devi, who learnt physiotherapy to help him regain muscle strength to walk again. His father has served in the Indian Army.

Yogesh Kathuniya is a Kirori Mal College's commerce graduate, a college in Delhi. Apart from two Paralympic silver medals, the athlete also has three world championship medals to his name.

On Monday, Kathuniya won't be satisfied with his performance given that he won the silver in Tokyo with a much better effort of 44.38m.

Kathuniya's toughest competitor, the 45-year-old Dos Santos broke the Paralympic record twice on Monday, first registering 46.45m in his second attempt and then hurling the discus to 46.86m in his penultimate throw.

Dos Santos is a three-time world championships gold-medallist and has also held the Paralympic record of 45.59m in this category which he achieved in the last edition in Tokyo.

Slovakia's Dusan Laczko finished fourth and last with a best effort of 41.20m.

(With PTI Inputs)