Not my best but happy to break world record: Sumit Antil

TIL Desk Sports/ Breaking the world record five times on his way to gold in the Paralympics did not suffice for reluctant-wrestler-turned-javelin-thrower Sumit Antil and the Indian vowed to better what was already an incredible performance by every yardstick.

The 23-year-old clinched India’s second gold at the ongoing Paralympics in Tokyo on Monday, shattering the men’s F64 category world record multiple times in a stunning Games debut performance of 68.55m. He was a wrestler prior to a motorcycle accident that resulted in his left leg being amputated, before life smiled on him and a new avenue opened up.

“I was not that great a wrestler. In my area of India, the family forces you to become a wrestler,” he quipped. “I started when I was seven, eight years old, and I continued for four or five years, but not regularly. I was not that good,” Antil said.