Sumit Antil is a talented Indian Player known as a Javelin thrower. He has recently won gold in Paralympic Paris 2024. In our post, we will discuss his life journey, early life, career and more. If you want to know more about this incredible player, be with us until this article’s end.
Sumit Antil’s Early Life and Background
Sumit Antil was born on 7 June 1998 he is 26 years old right now. He is from Sonipat Haryana son of Nirmala Devi and Ram Kumar. His father died when he was seven years old, he was an employee in the Indian Air Force. He has three sisters.
He completed his education at Dev Rishi Senior Secondary School, Sonipat and after that, he came to know about para-athletes from a para-athlete Rajkumar when he was studying B.Com at Ramjas College of Delhi University.
What Happened with Sumit Antil’s Leg?
Sumit Antil wanted to make his career in wrestling and he also joined the Indian Army. In 2015 when he was 17 years old he met with an accident as he was driving his motorbike and a truck came in high speed and hit his bike when he was returning home from his class. As he lost his leg he gave up his dream of becoming a wrestler. His mother gave him some motivation and he took part in sports.
Sumit Antil’s Career And Achievements
Sumit Antil is an Indian Paralympic player and javelin thrower. He won gold back in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in the men’s javelin throw F64 event and again won the gold medal in Paris Paralympics 2024. He set a record by throwing the javelin at 68.55m and 70.59 m. He is twice a gold medalist at the World Para Championships. He also made a world record in 2022 by throwing a para javelin of 73.28 m and winning the gold medal. He become six times world record holder.
| Event | Result | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralympic Games | Gold medal – first place | 2020 | Tokyo |
| Paralympic Games | Gold medal – first place | 2024 | Paris |
| World Championships | Gold medal – first place | 2023 | Paris |
| World Championships | Gold medal – first place | 2024 | Kobe |
| World Championships | Silver medal – second place | 2019 | Dubai |
| World Para Athletics Grand Prix | Silver medal – second place | 2019 | Italy |
| Asian Para Games | Gold medal – first place | 2022 | Hangzhou |
| Year | Award | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Khel Ratna Award | Highest sporting honour of India |
| 2022 | Padma Shri Award | Fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India |
| 2024 | Sportstar Aces Awards 2024 | Sportsman of the Year (parasports) |
| 2024 | Forbes India 30 Under 30 | Forbes India 30 Under 30 list |
In the 2024 Paralympics, his words and statements were told in Indian Express.
“I don’t consider anyone in a competition as inferior to me. I never say things like ‘My competition is only with myself’. That would not be the right thing to say. But what I am mindful of is not focusing on anyone else. I focus on what I can do better. In the coming year, I want to push my personal best to 75m,” he says.
He also said that he had a lot of pressure one night before the Paris Paralympics because of the expectations people have of him he was also not able to sleep at night.
“This is nothing new. This happens before every big event. The adrenaline is so high that I usually cannot sleep a wink before such events. But I knew this would happen to me. So now I have stopped fretting about it. I spent the night just lying in bed, and watching clips from Bollywood movies like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,” he says.
“There was no crowd in Tokyo when I competed. Here in Paris, the stands were full. But more importantly, there were not too many expectations from me in Tokyo. So I was a little nervous yesterday. I felt some pressure here. Getting to the top is easy. Staying there is very difficult. If an athlete does not feel pressure, they’re probably not taking the sport seriously. Or they’re some different level of legends. Neither gold medal was easy to get. In Tokyo, I was not injured. But for the past one and a half years, I have been carrying a niggle in my back, which has been hampering me.”
“Contact with the ground is one of the biggest factors that Olympians can have, which I don’t. My left leg, which is my blocking leg, is an artificial limb. It’s difficult to balance it. There are just two nails at the base of the prosthetic that get a grip on the ground. Balancing your entire body on just two nails is very difficult. After your hip has done its role while throwing, the blocking leg has to move into action. I was losing my balance a couple of times yesterday which is why I couldn’t throw even better,” Sumit Antil said.
Let’s appreciate together the success of the Indian Paralympic player who didn’t give up if he lost something but he still believed in himself and rose from a hard time to shining brighter like a star. Comment down your views about his incredible journey and success.
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