Sumit Antil’s paralympics dream was born in the land of akhadas. How he spun pain into glory

From struggling with a prosthetic leg to defending his Tokyo gold in Paris despite intense back pain, the javelin para athlete from Haryana has achieved what many only dream of.

File photo of Sumit Antil | X/@IndiaSportsHub

Sonipat: At dawn, the sand sparkled like gold as pehelwans battled it out, some swinging heavy gadas, in the local wrestling arenas of Haryana.

Known for producing world-class champions, such as Yogeshwar Dutt, Sushil Kumar and Geeta Phogat, these grounds have inspired countless young athletes, including Paralympic gold medalist Sumit Antil.

In the ongoing Paris Paralympics, not only did Antil defend his Tokyo gold, but he also broke his earlier record. He hurled the javelin to a staggering 70.59m in the second attempt, winning the gold. With that feat, the 26-year-old became only the second Indian athlete, following shooter Avani Lekhara, to successfully defend a Paralympic gold medal.

But javelin was never part of Antil’s plan. Like most kids in his hometown in Sonipat, he also used to dream of achieving international glory through wrestling.

“In Haryana, there’s a wrestler in every household. I wanted to be one of them. My goal was to join the Indian Army through the sports quota and represent India in wrestling,” Antil told ThePrint over a Zoom call.

But fate had other plans. On 5 January 2015, at just 17, Antil’s life changed dramatically after a motorbike accident led to the amputation of his left leg. It was a crushing blow.

Post-recovery, he enrolled in Delhi University but quickly realised academics was not his calling. “I was decent in studies, so I joined DU. But within a year, I knew I was not born for a nine-to-five life. Therefore, I didn’t push myself towards it,” he recalled.

Then, 2017 became a turning point for him. That year, Antil discovered para-sports, giving his life new direction and purpose.

Overcoming pain 

Rajkumar, a local para-athlete, first introduced Antil to the world of para-athletics. Soon, his formal training in para javelin began under coach Nitin Jaiswal, followed by Naval Singh coaching him at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

Training for javelin never came easy, with his prosthetic leg oozing blood and causing a significant amount of pain and discomfort.

But Antil’s life again took an unexpected turn when he got associated with the GoSports Foundation in 2019.

“They (GoSports) supported me when no one came forward. GoSports’ focus has always been on overall development, from equipment to mental health. So, for me, it has been my backbone,” he said.

Under the Para Champions Programme, run through CSR by corporates, such as IndusInd Bank, AT&T, Gameskraft Foundation, and Deloitte, GoSports procured a custom prosthetic leg for the para-athlete.

The custom prosthetic leg helped minimise the risk of injuries, such as stress fractures or muscle strains, and helped with natural and efficient movements, improving speed, agility, and overall performance.

The winning streak

In the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Italy in 2019, Antil created history by breaking the world record in javelin throw in the F64 category on his path to winning the silver in the combined event. The F64 category applies to field athletes with lower limb impairments, competing with a prosthesis.

Then, Antil brought home the silver medal from the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai after breaking his previous world record in the F64 category.

At the Tokyo Paralympics, he clinched the gold in a truly dominant fashion, obliterating the world record three times in that process.

It wasn’t long before Antil broke his record, yet again, throwing the javelin to a distance of 73.29m at the Asian Para Games in China last year.

When Antil returned to the Paralympics in Paris, he impressed in his very first throw in the first round, throwing the javelin to a whopping 69.11m distance on his first attempt, breaking his 2020 Tokyo Paralympics record of 68.55m. His fifth attempt landed at 69.04m, also better than the Tokyo Paralympics mark.

While his best was the 70.59m throw, Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku secured the silver medal with a throw of 67.03, while Aussie-Czech athlete Michael Burian clinched the bronze with a 64.89m throw.

“I was extremely happy and proud to defend the gold and the record. We have done a lot of hard work for this. Have remained disciplined,” Antil said. “My mother was the first person I spoke to. She is not very expressive but got very emotional over the call.”

Struggling with backache 

Antil, who was one of India’s flag-bearers in the opening ceremony, revealed that while the results were in his favour, he is slightly disappointed for not being able to achieve a personal target—to throw the javelin to nearly 75m.

“It depends on the day and how an athlete’s body reacts in the competition,” he said.

After breaking his record, back to back, in two throws, Antil revealed that he experienced severe pain in his back after the third attempt.

Antil has been experiencing back pain for the last 1.5 years. Back-to-back tournaments and championships didn’t give him enough room for recovery.

“Yes, I have an injury in my back, and it will be fine only after proper rest,” he said.

Ahead of the Paralympic match, Antil also got a special message from the Olympic silver medalist and his close friend, Neeraj Chopra.

Both the athletes were defending their gold and record in the competition.

Unfortunately, Chopra narrowly missed retaining his gold in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics, securing a silver instead, with a best throw of 89.45m.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem claimed the gold with a throw of 92.97m in his second attempt, breaking the Olympic record set by Denmark’s Andreas Thorkildsen in Beijing in 2008.

“Direct baat nahi ho paayi (I couldn’t speak to him directly). My athlete manager, Dinesh Naidu, met him in Paris,” Antil recalled, sharing the message he got from the Olympic winner.

“Chopra suggested, ‘Don’t try new things, maintain your cool and stick to the basics’,” he added.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)