Finance
Dharambir and Pranav Soorma won gold and silver in the men’s club throw F51 event at the Paris Paralympics, giving India a one-two finish. Dharambir broke the Asian record with a best throw of 34.92m on his fifth try. Soorma then threw 34.59m on his first attempt, but he was unable to improve on subsequent tries. As a result, he finished second in the event, with the Indians securing the top two spots. Serbia’s Filip Graovac won bronze with a 34.18m throw on his second try.
India has ascended to 13th place in the Paris Paralympics rankings, with two medals bringing the country’s total tally at these Games to 24. Dharambir is the fifth Indian to win gold, and Soorma is India’s ninth silver medalist in Paris. Notably, Amit Kumar Saroha, Dharambir’s mentor and the silver medalist at the 2017 World Championships, was the third Indian to compete. He did, however, finish last, with a best performance of 23.96 meters.
The F51 event is intended for athletes with severely impaired trunk, leg, and hand motions. All athletes compete while seated, using their shoulders and arms to produce power.
Four fouled attempts, then a record.
First up, Dharambir attempted four fouls. The 35-year-old, who won bronze at this year’s global championships in Kobe, Japan, then broke the Asian record and took first place in his next throw.
Dharambir was paralyzed from the waist down after misjudging a plunge into a canal. Saroha introduced him to para-athletics, and within a few years of participating, Dharambir qualified for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He finished ninth there, then eighth in the Tokyo Paralympics.
Dharambir previously won silver at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou in early 2022. In 2022, Dharambir received the Bhim Award, Haryana’s highest sporting accolade, in recognition of his exceptional exploits in national and international events.
Soorma was 16 years old when a cement sheet fell on his head, injuring his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed. He spent six months in the hospital, and doctors told him he’d never walk again. His buddies introduced him to para sports while he was in the hospital.
Pranav succeeded academically, earning a 91.2 percent on his 12th board examinations and obtaining a postgraduate degree in commerce at the famous Delhi School of Economics. He eventually got a position as an Assistant Manager at the Bank of Baroda. Pranav, a former cricketer and roller hockey player, regained his passion for sports, this time in a wheelchair. His achievements include a silver medal at the 2019 Beijing Grand Prix and a gold medal at the Serbia Open 2023, and both gold and silver medals at the Tunisia Grand Prix 2022. At the Asian Para Games 2023, Pranav set a record with a 30.01m throw in the men’s club throw F51 event, earning a gold medal.
Source:HT
