From Unfortunate Tragedy In 2009 To Creating History at Paralympics, Meet India’s Judo Star

Kapil Parmar created history on Thursday (September 5) by winning India’s first ever Paralympic medal in judo. He managed to convincingly defeat Brazil’s Elielton de Oliveira in the bronze medal match of the men’s 60kg (J1) event.

Parmar produced a superlative performance, dominating his opponent from start to finish to record a 10-0 win in the bronze medal contest.

He had earlier lost to S Banitaba Khorram Abadi in the semifinals, beaten 0-10 by his Iranian opponent here at the Champs-de-mart arena.

The J1 class in para judo is for the athletes who suffer from no to very low visual activity. Athletes in this category wear red circles to indicate that they may need guided support before, during and after a contest.

Parmar, who won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the same category, had earlier beaten Venezuela’s Marco Dennis Blanco 10-0 in the quarterfinal.

• Name: Kapil Parmar
• Date of Birth: June 23, 2000
• Home: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
• Discipline: Para Judo
• Event: Men’s 60 kg J1
• Training Base: India Blind and Para Judo Academy, Lucknow
• Disability Class: J1 (Vision impairment must result in visual acuity of less than or equal to logmar 2.6 in binocular vision)

Kapil Parmar comes from a small village named Shivor in Madhya Pradesh. He is the youngest of four brothers and a sister. His middle brother, who practices judo, often trains with him. Kapil’s father works as a taxi driver, while his sister runs a primary school.

As a child, Kapil had a life-altering accident when he was playing in the fields of his village and accidentally touched a water pump, resulting in a severe electric shock. He was found unconscious by a villager and taken to the hospital, where he remained in a coma for six months in Bhopal. Despite this setback, Kapil’s love for judo, which he enjoyed playing in school, never waned.

Following his recovery, doctors advised Kapil to gain weight. It was during this period that he discovered blind judo through the encouragement of his mentor and coaches, Bhagwan Das and Manoj Sir, who motivated him to pursue the sport competitively.

Kapil has faced numerous hardships throughout his life. He and his brother used to run a tea stall to support themselves. Even now, Kapil’s brother Lalit remains his main source of financial support, continuing to help him pursue his passion for judo.

Top Achievements

• Paralympics Games (2024) – Bronze Medal – Men’s 60kg (J1) Para Judo
• Asian Para Games 2022 (2023) – Silver Medal
• Commonwealth Championships (2019)- Gold Medal
• IBSA Judo Grand Prix Antalya (2024) – Gold Medal
• IBSA Judo Grand Prix Tbilisi (2024) – Gold Medal
• IBSA Judo Grand Prix Alexandria (2023) – Gold Medal
• IBSA World Games (2023) – Bronze Medal

Key Government Intervention

• 7 Foreign Exposures in Kazakhstan, Georgia, Japan, Germany, Turkey, China
• Financial Assistance for Training & Competition
• Training camp in Japan for 14 days
• Out of Pocket Allowance under TOPS Background A