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Dharambir and Pranav Soorma won gold and silver medals, respectively, in the men’s club throw F51 class at the Paris 2024 Paralympics on Wednesday to make it India’s first one-two finish in athletics at the Games.
The medals also meant that India recorded their best-ever result at the Paralympic Games, surpassing the record from Tokyo 2020.
So far, India have won 24 medals at Paris 2024 with five golds, nine silvers and 10 bronze. India had won 19 medals at Tokyo 2020 with five golds, eight silvers and six bronze.
"When we left India we promised that we would come back with 25 medals, and these two medals have brought us very close - to 24. So they are the most crucial of the entire campaign," Dharambir said.
Dharambir, 35, won the gold medal with an Asian record of 34.92m on his fifth attempt at the Stade de France. Pranav Soorma started strongly with an effort of 34.59m and clinched a silver medal.
"I don’t have words to explain the joy and emotions that are going through me right now," Dharambir said.
Club throw is a Paralympic event similar to the hammer throw at the Olympics. Club throw, however, is not part of the Olympic programme.
Dharambir, who finished eighth at Tokyo 2020, had a nervy run in Paris as he managed four fouls before his winning effort.
"As quadriplegic athletes we are not even able to hold the club, so we use a sticky gum in our fingers. Sometimes it is not in our control how it will release from the hand," he explained.
"For the first four throws, I was not able to get it right. This happens a lot with me. But I was confident that one straight throw would bring rewards, and it did.
"After my fifth throw, I knew I would win a medal but wasn’t sure which colour. In the end it was my day. It was my throw that stood up, and I got gold."
Serbia’s Zeljko Dimitrijevic, champion at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, settled for the bronze medal with a throw of 34.18m
Athletes in the F51 sports class have impaired muscle power or impaired range of movement: All athletes compete in a seated position.
Dharambir, who hails from Haryana, suffered a life-threatening accident while diving into a canal in his village. Misjudging the water's depth, he struck the rocks below, leading to paralysis from the waist down.
Dharambir's victory at the Stade de France was his first gold medal at a major competition. He finished ninth at the Rio 2016 and eighth at Tokyo 2020 and secured a bronze medal at the Para World Championships in Japan earlier this year. At the Asian Para Games last year, he lost the gold medal to Pranav Soorma and settled for silver.
For Pranav Soorma, life took a tragic turn when he was 16. A cement sheet fell on his head, causing a severe spinal cord injury that left him paralysed. Doctors told him he would never walk again and he spent six months in the hospital. It took years for Pranav to come to terms with the fact that a wheelchair would be his lifelong companion.
