New Delhi: Sumit Antil took a painkiller to battle the long-standing back injury ahead of his men’s javelin throw F64 event in the Paris Paralympics 2024. The pain never got rid of his back in the build-up to defending his gold medal bagged in Tokyo in 2021.
Even though the Sonipat-born athlete was confident in his preparations over the last three years, the injury scare was always a concern. Nonetheless, the 26-year-old shattered his own Paralympic record of 68.55m in Tokyo with 70.59m to retain his title in the marquee event in the French capital.
“The physio was working on me for last 6-7 days to avoid pain during the throws. But the moment I started my training here, there was a niggle. Henceforth, I skipped the warm-up throws and the aim was to secure the gold before the pain get the hold of me,” Sumit told News9 Sports from Paris days after his event.
“I didn’t feel the pain till the third throw. I kept putting in the efforts but couldn’t (break the world record), it was a good experience overall,” he added.
The moment the javelin was released from the ace Paralympian’s hand in his first attempt, the roar ensued. It is the same roar embodied by his dear friend and double-Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra to express that the spear is about to reap dividends even though it is still travelling in the air.
“Any thrower or athlete when he shouts on the field means their emotions are coming out in a way. The moment the first throw happened, with the range the javelin took off, I expected it to be a good throw, one which would confirm my gold medal,” Sumit explained on his celebration after the first throw fetched 69.11m distance, adding to it: “Whenever a athletes shouts after a throw, it helps them to release the nervousness factor in the next throw.”
Is Sumit Antil his own competition?
Following his buoyant throw to kick off the proceedings, Sumit smashed the Paralympic record in his second attempt with 70.59m. The third throw wasn’t better than the other two but yet sufficient for him to take the gold home if results were determined after three attempts.
Australia’s Michal Burian’s (F44) 64.89m in his second attempt was the next-best effort after Sumit’s initial three throws. Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku entered the competition in his penultimate attempt with a distance of 67.03m, a mere challenger for Sumit in the last round.
However, Sumit’s 69.04m in the fourth round eventually turned out to feature among top three throws of the night. He was eligible to win gold, silver, and bronze hypothetically and then there was the popular perception that ‘Sumit was in his own league and he only competes with himself.
The double-Paralympic gold medallist dismissed the notion as he wanted to thrive to break his own world record set at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year.
“I won’t say that I was competing with myself only but, yes, I was trying to create a new world record (73.29 of his own). It should have been near 72m but a lot of things matter on the day. Will try to make it happen in the time to come. But I won’t say I have competition with myself as the Sri Lankan athlete did well in his category,” he said.
“The Australian athlete also did well, and Sandeep (Chaudhary) bhai, who was in fourth position, did a decent job. Had his one throw not be found as foul then we could have got bronze along with the gold. So it was a decent competition for me.
The Sumit-Neeraj bond
Sumit’s dominance with the spear is often seen as an act of resemblance to Neeraj Chopra, who also hails from the Sonipat district in Haryana. Neeraj has bagged gold medals in Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Olympic Games, World Championship, and Diamond League to dominate the field discipline in the world of athletics.
Explaining about his strong bond with Neeraj over the years, Sumit mentioned:
“My relationship with Neeraj bhai is one between an elder brother and younger brother. Though we don’t talk on a regular basis, we keep in touch from time to time like once in 15-20 days. He trains in foreign and I mostly in India. So we try not to disturb each other.”
“He keeps motivating from time to time and shares his experience. Even he shared what he felt in his Paris Olympics event and ensured I didn’t face certain challenges here.”
“He was expecting me to break the world record (chuckles while saying) but it couldn’t happen. Yet, he said that the range is there and I could throw better. So we keep motivating each other and we will sit together when he returns to India,” he added.
The ‘wall of fame’
After Sumit clinched his successive gold medal in Paris, his mother Nirmala Devi, in a recent interview with The Indian Express, revealed about a ‘wall of fame’ where Sumit’s nine world record distances are mentioned in their older home. Interestingly, no other Paralympic athlete has bettered their records as done by Sumit. While mentioning how the records boosted him in his career, the 26-year-old said:
“Record didn’t happen else I would have done it (added that to the Wall of Fame). But I think it will be replaced (with the new Paralympic record). It’s when you sit and watch them (on the wall), you feel like I want to break them and it serves as a motivation for you.”
After returning back to his village Khewra in Sonipat, the Indian athlete wishes to savour Churma, a popular sweet in Northern and Central India.
“It’s been around five-six months, though I exactly don’t remember the last time I had it. It is very rare that I have consumed sweets in the meantime. The least I take sugar is in the form of tea,” he said with a delight on his face.
Sumit is thankful to the Bengaluru-based Go Sports Foundation for their consistent support with his training, equipment, and particularly managing his prosthetic (for left leg).
“I will be completing six years with Go Sports Foundation in 2025. I still remember when I got silver in the 2019 World Championships, I felt the need to use the artificial leg while throwing,” he said.
“I told them about it and with their research they suggested me a leg which has been assisting me with my throws. If not for that I would have struggled a lot,” he added.
What’s next for Sumit Antil?
Sumit Antil’s next target is to bag the gold medal in the World Para Athletics Championships in 2025, which could be hosted in India and then defend the gold medal at the Asian Para Games in 2026 in Nagoya, Japan.
“Would like to perform well there as well. Want to break the world record at the international stage in my own country as I haven’t participated in any major championship in India. There is Asian Para Games in between, so the focus is to bring gold in all of those events,” he concluded.
In an exclusive interview with News9Live, Paris Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil spoke about overcoming injury scare in title defence in Paris, his competition with self, bond with Neeraj Chopra, hunger to break his own world record among many other things. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
