Tokyo Paralympics: Amit Kumar & Dharambir end up with no medals in the F51 Men’s Club Throw Event

The Indian representation of Amit Kumar and Dharambir finished at fifth position and eighth position respectively in the F51 men’s club throw event at the Tokyo Paralympics today.

The Indian representation of Amit Kumar and Dharambir finished at fifth position and eighth position respectively in the F51 men’s club throw event at the Tokyo Paralympics today.

Kumar’s personal best in the competition was 27.77 metres, which was his season’s best attempt. The 36-year-old para-athlete had ended up fourth in the Rio Paralympics five years back with a throw of 26.63m. The Indian club thrower is also the Asian Para Games gold medal winner. Dharambir finished at eighth place with his best effort being at 25.59m which was also his seasonal best. The 32-year-old won silver in Asian Para Games behind Kumar in 2018.

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This event was under the F51 category which consists of para-athletes who have impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, deficiency in the limb or differences in leg length due to cervical cord and spinal cord injuries, amputations, or functional disorders. Para-athletes have to compete in a seated position due to their disabilities. These categories are made to create an equal footing between athletes of similar abilities. The 32-year-old Dharambir became a paraplegic after a diving accident while Amit Kumar’s quadriplegia was due to a road accident in 2007.

The Indian performance was well short of the gold medallist Musa Taimazov’s best. His attempt of 35.42m created a new world record. The silver medal was achieved by the Czech Republic’s para-athlete Zeljko Dimitrijevic who recorded an attempt of 35.29m. Slovakian para-athlete Marian Kureja won the bronze medal with an attempted throw of 30.66m.

Club throw is the equivalent to hammer throw in the Olympics with the one throwing the farthest being the winner. India had a medal-less day today in the Paralympics after achieving 10 medals yesterday with 2 gold medals.