MUMBAI: This year's Mahindra Scorpio Times of India Sports Awards (
TOISA
) has proudly honored the four lion-hearts who scripted India's most successful Paralympics ever, and who on Monday in Mumbai shared the stage with other Indian sports stars and icons of the present and the past.
On the heels of the 2016 Rio Olympics came the Paralympics, also in Brazil, from where four Indians won medals to make it India's best ever haul: javelin thrower
Devendra Jhajharia, who broke his own record while claiming his second gold medal;
Deepa Malik, who won silver in the shot put F-53 event to become the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal; and high jumpers
Mariyappan Thangavelu, who created history by winning gold, and
Varun Bhati
who claimed bronze.
"It was an absolutely outstanding performance from these four champions at the Rio Paralympics, and it was just stunning to watch them compete on the world stage," commented TOISA jury member Rajesh Kalra, the Chief Editor of Times Internet and member of the PM's task force on the preparations for the next three Olympics: "This is the spirit and power or the human mind and body and their dedication and performances speak volumes of their excellence. We at TOI are extremely proud to honour Devendra, Deepa, Mariyappan and Varun."
Being confined to a wheelchair has clearly not been a deterrent for Deepa, one of the country's most decorated athletes. A cursory glance at her achievements underscores that truism: the 46-year-old is an accomplished swimmer, adventure sports junkie, biker and entrepreneur and has had her name entered into the Limca Book of Record not once, but four times, and last year created history when she bagged silver in the shot put F-53 event in Rio, with her best throw of 4.61m sealing her prize.
One-armed javelin-thrower Jhajharia soared to new heights by becoming the first Indian para-athlete to win two medals - in his case gold - at the summer Paralympic Games. Jhajharia, competing in his second Paralympics, bettered his distance 62.15m at the Athens Games by delivering a record throw of 63.97m in the men's javelin throw F46 event at the Rio Paralympics.
Permanently disabled from the age of five when his right knee was crushed in a bus accident, 21-year-old Thangavelu became only the third Indian Paralympian to win a gold medal when he recorded a best jump of 1.89 m in the Men's T42 High Jump to win gold at the Paralympics, the first Indian to do so ever. Bhati won bronze in the men's high jump T-42 event at the Paralympics with his personal best jump of 1.86 meters to finish third in the event which was won by Thangavelu.
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