New Delhi: Amit Kumar Saroha endured a poor outing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics as a player but enjoyed a fruitful day as a coach as Dharambir and Pranav Soorma, his students, made him proud after clinching podium finishes at the Stade de France.
Amit, a player-coach, finished last in the men’s club throw F51 event, but his students Dharambir and Pranav Soorma claimed gold and silver respectively. For Amit, the one-two finish felt like a mission accomplished.
The two club throw medals took India’s medal tally to 24 as the nation continued its most successful run at the Paralympics in Paris. India had already surpassed the previous-best tally of 19 medals on Tuesday.
Despite finishing last, Amit was happy that the Indian squad claimed two medals in the event.
The elation of watching his students bringing laurels to the country even eclipsed the disappointment of missing out on winning a medal in his fourth attempt.
“Ever since I began participating in sports, it was my dream to win a medal in the Paralympic Games and this is my fourth event — you know I am the most senior athlete in the team — so what if I was not able to win it, my student did it,” he said.
“No greater Gurudakshina”
Missing out on a medal was disappointing for Amit, but Dharambir’s gold proved to be an early Teacher’s Day gift for the 39-year-old.
“We are going back with a gold medal and there cannot be a greater gurudakshina (a gift to a teacher) that we were together, we were competing against each other and he won the gold,” he said.
Amit forayed into club throw as a para-athlete following a car accident at the age of 22 that left him a quadriplegic.
It severely limited his mobility in his arms and legs due to a spinal cord injury.
With a clean sweep of medals at the Asian Para Games last year and two medals in the ongoing Paris Paralympics, Amit feels his mission has been accomplished and he is happy that the next generation has taken over.
Meanwhile, gold medallist Dharambir dedicated his victory to teammate and coach Amit.
The 35-year-old para-athlete broke the Asian record with a throw of 34.92m while Soorma claimed the silver with a throw of 34.59m.
Teachers’ Day special: Amit Kumar Saroha failed to win Paralympic medal on four attempts but his students Dharmabir and Pranav Soorma accomplished his dream by winning gold and silver medals. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
