Indian javelin throwers Devendra Jhajaria and Sundar Singh Gurjar on Sunday won silver and bronze medals respectively in the final of the F46 class event at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics. With this, India has now won a total of seven medal, improving on its best-ever haul of four medals from the 2016 Rio Paralympics. 

Jhajaria, the only Indian to have won two individual gold medals at either Olympics or Paralympics, secured second place with a throw of 64.35m. This the 40-year-old’s third Paralympic medal, after winning gold medals at the 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Gurjar clinched bronze with a best throw of 64.01 in his fifth attempt. 

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Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Herath Mudiyanselage smashed the world record set by Devendra at the Rio Paralympics, with a monster throw of 67.79m. The 35-year-old, who won bronze in Rio 2016, jumped from 62.19 in his second throw to over 67 in his third to finish first. 

Jhajaria, who bettered his world record throw from five years ago at the national selection trial in New Delhi, recorded two foul throws in his fourth and fifth attempt before finishing with a 61.23m throw in his sixth and final attempt. 

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Gurjar was out of podium places until his fifth attempt, when he threw the javelin 64.01m to confirm his bronze. He finished with a foul throw in his final attempt. 

India have now achieved their best ever medal-tally at the Paralympic Games. India won four medals, including two golds and a silver and bronze each in Rio 2016. 

On Sunday, paddler Bhavina Patel secured India’s first medal at the ongoing Paralympic, winning silver after a 3-0 loss to China’s world number one Zhou Ying. This was followed by another silver-winning performance by high jumper Nishad Kumar, before discus thrower Vinod Kumar won bronze in the F52 class. 

However, Kumar’s medal is on hold, after contentions in his disability classification. 

Earlier today, 19-year-old Avani Lekhara became the first Indian female to win an individual Paralympic gold medal, finishing first in the 10m Air Rifle SH1 event. This was followed by discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya winning silver in the F56 class.