Paris Paralympics 2024: Yogesh Kathuniya Clinches Silver in Men’s Discus Throw F56 – News18

India athlete Yogesh Kathuniya won the silver medal in men’s discus throw F56 event at the ongoing Paris Paralympics 2024. This is Yogesh’s second successive Paralympics silver.

The 27-year-old who hails from Haryana secured the second spot with a throw of 42.22m which he recorded in his first attempt itself. He followed that with 41.50m, 41.55m, 40.33m, 40.89m and 39.68m.

With this, India’s medal tally has risen to eight from the Paris Paralympics so far with four each from athletics and shooting events.

Also Read: Paris Paralympics Day 5 Live

Claudiney Batista dos Santos of Brazil won the discus throw gold with a Paralympic record throw of 46.86m while Konstantinos Tzounis of Greece took bronze with an effort of 41.32m.

Yogesh, a soldier with the Indian Army, developed Guillain–Barré syndrome when he was 9 years old.

He studied at Indian Army Public School in Chandigarh where his father served in the army at Chandimandir Cantonment. His mother learnt physiotherapy, and within 3 years, at the age of 12 he regained muscle strength to walk again. He later attended Kirori Mal College in Delhi, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and joined para games.

Kathuniya qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics and competed in the men’s discus throw F56 event. He threw the disc to 44.38 m and won his first Pralympics silver medal .

He was honored with the Arjuna Award by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, in November 2021 for his achievement at the Paralympics.

In 2016, he took up para sports after Sachin Yadav, General Secretary of the students’ union at Kirori Mal College motivated him to take up sports by regularly showing him videos of para-athletes.

In 2018, he set a world record by throwing the disc to 45.18 m at the 2018 World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin.