Jhajharia eyes 3rd gold

When everybody is busy cheering for Indiarsquos new golden boy Neeraj Chopra there is a double gold medallist in the same disciplinemdashfar away from the limelightmdashfinetuning his skills to clinch a third gold for himself and India And unlike Chopra Devendra Jhajharia has only one armHis is a name that not many may know but Jhajharia was the one who made India proud by winning their first gold in the F46 javelin throw even at the 2004 Athens Paralympics and followed it up with another at the 2016 Rio ParalympicsHis efforts including a world record throw of 6215m were recognised with a Padma Shri making Jhajharia the first paraathlete to be accorded this national honour Jhajharia 40 and supremely fit said he was ready to represent India at the upcoming Tokyo ParalympicsDadrsquos adviceThe javelin thrower whorsquos from Churu Rajasthan was working with the Railways and is now with the Sports Authority of India SAI ldquoSome days ago I was remembering 2004 My father was the only one who came to see me off for the Athens Gamesrdquo Jhajharia saidldquoNeither the state nor the central government gave any money My father is no more but I still remember his words lsquoIf you do well the country and government will come and support yoursquo rdquoThat accidentThe javelin thrower whose left arm had to be amputated when he was eight years old after he accidentally touched a live electric cable is all prepared for his third Paralympics in a muchdecorated career thatrsquos spanned nearly two decadesldquoI have the experience so I am pretty confidentrdquo Jhajharia said ldquoI will keep myself calm and focused Last year I tested COVIDpositive As a result my training got hampered But I overcame it and worked really hard Weight was also an issue for meldquoMy coach had said that if I gain even one kg of weight then I should forget about a medal So I started lifting the gas cylinder at home to control my weight I reduced it by seven kilos and I now weigh 79rdquoWith these inspiring words the gritty Paralympian is all set to pursue his dream of bringing home another gold The paraathlete who has been active in sport for over two decades says his father was right for other sports have come a long way in the country since he began ldquoToday when I see governments motivating athletes I feel my father would be very happy wherever he is nowrdquo Jhajharia saidldquoThe Target Olympics Podium Scheme TOPS is really good and Khelo India is benefiting young athletes as wellrdquolsquoSports has come a long wayrsquoHe added ldquoSports has come a long way Athletes are getting all the basic facilities Back in 2004 I didnrsquot even know what a physio or fitness trainer was Today SAI has all the facilities at their centres The government moreover is supporting athletes and paraathletes equallyrdquoAlso Read Ajinkya Rahane steadies Indiarsquos shipThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliabilitsy and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever