Against all odds

Forget disability and inability, simply talk of ability. That seems to be the message from India's Paralympics superstars as they crowned themselves in glory by winning a record 19 medals in Tokyo.

Less than a few weeks after the highs of the Tokyo Olympics, where India won seven medals, all talk now is not of cricket in England but the superlative showing from the Paralympics. The quality and quantity of medals, won across a variety of sporting disciplines, goes on to show what an athlete can do if he or she forgets his or her pain and focuses on poise.

The curtain comes down on the Paralympics today. By now, everyone knows the name of the giant performers who attracted attention, aroused interest and instilled desire in the events from athletics to shooting and table tennis to swimming.

To say that just a few names grabbed headlines will be unfair. This time, the Indian Para stars have captured the collective conscience of the nation like never before. Sample this, for the first time ever, we have athletes winning two medals in one Paralympics.

Yes, Avani Lekhara, the cherubic lass from Jaipur, has shown that she is a crack rifle shooter. At 19 years of age, life for this girl had come to a near end when she met with a road accident seven years ago. She thought her world was over.

But then, her parents were not going to let their daughter wallow in self-pity. They ensured that Avani, who is paralysed waist downwards, would reboot. Today, she is the proud owner of a gold medal and a bronze medal in rifle shooting. If her success in air rifle (gold) was stupendous, her showing in the three-position event (bronze), showed what grit and gumption are all about.

"I still can't believe I have won two medals. I am elated and digesting the success," said Avani. The young girl let everyone peep into her mind. "In the three-position event, where I have never won a medal before, I was nervous. Then I was focussing on one shot at a time and it just happened," said Avani at a media interaction. "Yes, I am on top of the world," she added.

To be sure, what Avani has done for para shooting, like Singhraj Adhana, is remarkable. Singhraj, who has been afflicted with polio and was making his Paralympics debut at the age of 39, won a bronze medal in air pistol. Singhraj added another medal on Saturday (silver) to join the elite league with Avani.

Singhraj has faced anxious moments in his life, where in the beginning, his wife had to sell her jewellery so that he could pursue his dream. Of course, today, thanks to the support from the PCI (Paralympic Committee of India), the Sports Authority of India and the respective state governments, the Para athletes have been able to focus on their training.

At a time when India still wonders how the able-bodied shooters failed to win medals in the Rio Olympics and the Tokyo Olympics, the Para marksmen have shown resilience. They trained in a bio bubble at the Karni Singh ranges in Tughlaqabad when the COVID-19 second wave was raging in summer. By focussing on the job and not worrying too much about external factors, the Para shooters hit the bulls-eye.

Further proof of it came on Saturday morning when 19-year-old Manish Narwal shot gold in the 50-metre mixed pistol event. Overall, this was India's third gold in the Tokyo Paralympics. The duo, Narwal and Singhraj, took social media by storm as such results are unheard of in Indian shooting.

"You've shown immense talent and dedication at a very young age. Heartiest congratulations," tweeted President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.

There is no doubt each Indian Para medal winner is the toast of the nation. Notably, in javelin, India won four medals in various Para categories, which was best exemplified by Sumit Antil striking gold. Call it fate or ill luck, Sumit, from Sonepat district in Haryana, set out to be a wrestler first.

He met with a bike accident, where a tractor wrecked one of his legs. He was amputated below the knee in the left leg. After resting for 50 days, he was on a prosthetic limb. From that day in 2017, he shifted to javelin and is now an athlete with killer instinct. His efforts in Tokyo were world class in the F 64 category.

Javelin seems to be the flavour of the season, with Neeraj Chopra leading the way first. Commenting on it at a felicitation event on Friday, sports minister Anurag Thakur said: "I hope javelin in India will now become as famous as a cricket bat."

"The government will improve the sports ecosystem in the country and through schemes like TOPS, it will keep supporting the athletes (core and developmental)," added Thakur, a former national cricketer himself.

Commenting on India's performance at the Tokyo Paralympics, Abhinav Bindra was all praise. "The performance of India's Para athletes in Tokyo has been awe inspiring. So many of them are participating in their debut Games and it has been a pleasure to witness the way they have handled the pressure. The impact of their success cannot be measured and is potentially game-changing in terms of the visibility Para sports will now receive. It will not only inspire the next generation of budding Paralympians in India but also society on a whole as our athletes are the greatest ambassadors of resilience and overcoming adversity. I cannot be more thrilled. Sport continues to break barriers," Bindra told Millennium Post.

To be sure, India is not a country where people with disabilities lead life easily. There are still many areas where there can be a huge shift for the better. Accessing buildings minus proper lifts, getting into a Metro, travelling by train are some areas where changes need to happen. "What we are witnessing in Tokyo is remarkable. India needs to have a proper system in place for people with disabilities to take up sport. There has to be a conscious effort to promote sport for the athletes with disability. If that happens, India can win many more medals in the future," Dr KT Bhowmik, a very senior doctor in the Central Government told Millennium Post. Dr Bhowmik was the chief medical officer for the Tokyo Olympics in July/August.

Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy for the Indian athletes. They had to take care of themselves and yet train hard in national camps which are run by the Sports Authority of India. Many Indian athletes were hit by the virus but recovered quietly.

The difference between able-bodied athletes and the Para athletes in India is their approach. The Para athletes have never complained. They have trained hard, competed in Paralympics qualifiers abroad despite a lot of impediments and then peaked in Tokyo.

Tokyo's heat and humidity was very enervating. And when there was rain, it made it worse. Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won a high jump gold in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, created history when he won silver in Tokyo. Conditions were challenging. Rain had made it difficult for Thangavelu on the runway before the final jump. His socks on the foot, which he uses to launch himself, were getting wet, as he uses the Fosbury technique in high jump.

"I had to be very careful. It was affecting my concentration and approach. It was unlike the good conditions in Rio. Had it not been wet, maybe I could have gone for a Gold. I will now prepare for the 2024 Paris Paralympics," said Thangavelu.

Like Thangavelu, there is one more man who has defined durability and ability. Yes, Devendra Jhajharia, who won a record third Paralympic medal in his career, has shown that age and time are not going to stop him. He is 40 and simply unstoppable. He says he loves to train and continue in a sport which is lonely as well as challenging.

Considering that this Paralympic Cycle was not of four years, but five, it has been harder for all the Indians. "I had won two gold medals in the previous editions of the Para Games. India has performed well in the competition. I want to thank PM Modi for encouraging and talking to us before we headed to Tokyo," said Jhajharia.

President of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), Deepa Malik, could not hide her emotions. "From here on, parents of girl children with disabilities are going to look at it in a different way. So, this (results in Tokyo) is a huge step forward. Bhavina Patel and Avani have created history and I cannot be more happy," said Deepa Malik, herself a Khel Ratna winner.

Views expressed are personal