Paris. India’s Yogesh Kathunia won the silver medal here on Monday with his season’s best effort of 42.22 meters in the men’s F56 discus throw event at the Paris Paralympics. Kathunia had earlier won the silver medal in this event at the Tokyo Paralympics as well. The 27-year-old player covered a distance of 42.22 meters in his first attempt, performing the best of the current season.
Claudiny Batista dos Santos of Brazil completed a hat-trick of gold medals at the Paralympics by setting a new record for these games with a distance of 46.86 meters in his fifth attempt. Constantinos Tzounis of Greece won the bronze medal with an effort of 41.32 meters. In this four-player event, Dusan Laczko of Slovakia finished last with a best effort of 41.20 meters. Players participating in the F56 category compete sitting down. This category includes players who have disorders in the lower part of the body and have weak muscles.
Kathunia was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome at the age of nine. It is a rare disease that causes numbness, tingling sensation in body parts along with muscle weakness and later paralysis. He used to move with the help of a wheelchair in his childhood but with the help of his mother Meena Devi, he was able to overcome the obstacles. His mother learned physiotherapy so that she could help her son walk again. Kathunia’s father has served in the Indian Army.
Kathuniya has graduated in commerce from Delhi’s prestigious Kirori Mal College. Apart from two silver medals in the Paralympic Games, he has three medals from the World Championships. This includes two silver and one bronze medal.
However, Kathunia will not be satisfied with his effort on Monday as he won the silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics with an effort of 44.38 meters. Santos, Kathunia’s toughest rival in the Paralympics and World Championships, broke the Paralympic Games record twice during this event. The 45-year-old player first set a new record with an effort of 46.45 meters and then improved it with an effort of 46.86 meters. Santos, a three-time gold medalist at the World Championship, had earlier set a Paralympic Games record with an effort of 45.59 meters in Tokyo.